Dress Up
by tiff098765
Summary: It's freaking cold, and Castle and Beckett warm up at his place. Looking for something warm to wear, Beckett finds some interesting stuff in Castle's closet. Fluff with some actual character development. But mostly fluff. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Holy crap, she was cold. Her nose was pink and runny. She couldn't feel her ears. Her wet clothes were stiff from the below-freezing temperatures. She'd only gotten wet minutes before, but she was already having flashbacks to when she and Castle were stuck in the freezer. They were hurrying as fast as they could to her car, and she could hear Castle's teeth chattering as he jogged next to her.

Fumbling with her keys with her numb fingers, she finally got the Crown Vic unlocked and cranked. She didn't bother to wait for it to warm at all; she just jumped straight into traffic and aimed the car toward Castle's building. Honestly and truly, the destination was picked only because it was closer than her place or the precinct. They needed to get warm and dry as quickly as possible. She caught a look at his face when she checked to change lanes, and his lips were blueish.

Finally, the vents began blowing air that was warmer… at least, it was warmer than they were. As the car warmed, their shivering calmed (though it didn't stop altogether), and they began getting feeling back in their extremities. Neither of them spoke.

Their warmth didn't last, for they had to bolt through the cold parking deck to reach the entrance to the building. Still silent, they rode the elevator up with their bodies nearly touching, hoping that closeness would help them warm up. Castle dropped his keys while trying to unlock his door, but Beckett didn't chide him for it. She still couldn't feel her fingers very much.

He opened the door but let her go through first, and they practically sprinted in seemingly pre-determined directions. Kate ran up the stairs straight to the guest room's shower, and Castle to his own shower. Both turned on the spray before beginning to undress, hoping to thaw without spending another second in icy clothes. The water was painfully hot almost instantly in both showers, and the cold, wet clothes were peeled off quickly.

As Kate adjusted the water's temperature so the warmth didn't scald her near-frozen skin, she finally began to breathe regularly. The cold had given her a headache, and her shallow breathing made her chest ache. Slowly, she warmed. Slowly, she relaxed. She flicked the plug down and let the tub begin to fill with warm water, sitting and hoping to warm up faster. As she thawed, she adjusted it slowly to hot. Leaning back and finally beginning to feel human again, she considered where she was.

Castle had done much the same, only he plugged the tub immediately. The hot water hurt his cold feet, but warmed him faster. Quickly, he submerged himself in the deep soaking tub, even pulling his head underwater to warm his nose and lips and ears. And he considered where Kate was.

His tub was big enough for two, and had been used by two on more than one occasion. The jets practically made it into an indoor hot tub. Yet, Kate was upstairs in the guest shower, and neither of them had even thought about warming up together. Well, not really, he'd thought it, but he was too dang cold to even bother joking about it. Shutting off the tap, he soaked for a good twenty minutes before he decided he was warm enough to get out. He pulled on the plush cobalt blue robe that was hanging on the hook in the bathroom, and made his way out to find some clothes. He was fantasizing about getting on some warm socks first, maybe five pair, then boxers and pants, maybe three layers, and then shirts, an undershirt, tee-shirt, and sweatshirt, then the robe over it. Maybe then his brain really would believe his body had actually warmed up.

But when he opened the door from the bathroom to his bedroom, he saw Kate, in his closet, looking through his clothes, wearing the big white robe he'd brought home from their trip to Los Angeles, and apparently wearing some of Alexis's socks. Now, why did he find her so damn sexy looking like that?

In the tub, she'd settled in, hoping for a long soak. She wondered how long Castle would leave her alone before he came knocking to see if she'd drowned. He'd probably crack open the door to "look in on her to make sure she was okay." Or maybe he would be more bold and go ahead and bring her a glass of wine and let her soak. He could bring a book with him and read to her while she relaxed. Now wouldn't that be a fantasy come true?

Maybe it really would happen one day. She'd been flirting openly enough lately that he knew she was making forward progress toward being able to have the kind of relationship she wanted. But while he was happy about that, and they were even more comfortable and familiar with one another, still "nothing" had happened. Plenty had happened, really, but nothing like the infamous Page 105. Not even a kiss. So why was she thinking about him coming in there while she soaked? Or maybe she should just go join him in his ginormous tub. Mmmm. That would be perfectly delicious. They'd warm up in no time.

Tempted. She was so tempted. To the point that she wasn't enjoying her soak. She decided she was warm enough and gave up on trying to relax alone. Donning the robe and some fuzzy socks that were folded on Alexis's bed (she saw them from the hall), she slipped into Rick's room. So very tempted. She stood outside of his bathroom door, wanting to just go in. But she couldn't do it. She just couldn't. Dangit.

So she decided instead to wear his clothes and surprise him. Flicking up the lightswitch to his closet, she shook her head at the man's clothes. Stylish suits, dress shirts (wouldn't he like to see her in one of those), Khakis and blazers, and jeans all hung neatly. Cherrywood shelves held folded tee-shirts, flannel night pants, and sweat shirts. As she reached for some warm looking sweats, she noticed some odd looking clothes hanging in the next section of the closet. Costumes. There were almost as many of them as there were Armani suits. One in particular caught her interest.

"Rick, what is this?" He jumped. He didn't know she'd seen him standing there watching her. And he really didn't know if child-like glee or embarrassment was the right tone to take when answering her question.

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><p><em>Please review! I'm addicted to them. I love them like a fat kid loves cake. Ooh. Sorry. Too much Adam Sandler influence today.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

2

"Uh, it's just some old Halloween costumes." _Want me to put on a fashion show for you? _As if he'd actually say that. Well, a couple of years ago, he would have, but he doesn't know where the line is anymore, and he's too damn messed up from watching her die to say anything that might cause a reaction he doesn't want from her. He'd pushed a couple of times, even touched her when he was only supposed to be looking at a needle mark. God, he wanted to touch her again.

"There are a lot of them. The space cowboy one, I remember. But these others? Why do you have so many?" _The space cowboy one was friggin' hot._ She wondered how the others looked on him.

"Never know when you might need a good costume." Well, there was really no good answer to that question for a grown man, was there? He smirked, knowing how silly his answer sounded.

"Mmm hmm. Because you just might need to go out looking like, who is this, Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yeah. I got that when we had that steampunk case. You should have seen all the stuff I _didn't_ buy that day." He walked to her, and neither one of them seemed uncomfortable that they were standing together wearing _only_ robes. And fuzzy socks.

She rolled her eyes, imagining all the crazy stuff he probably wanted to buy. "And this one?" She pointed at a black tee shirt that looked too small for him (or possibly just snug enough to pull against his muscles) and yellow rubber dish gloves clipped to the hanger.

"Homemade superhero costume."

She chuckled. "Is that how you knew so much about the underground vigilantes when we were looking for Lone Vengeance? You were in the group yourself?"

He grinned. "I plead the fifth, Detective."

"Oh, good grief. You didn't seriously go try to be a superhero, did you?"

"Seriously?" He was still smiling.

"Seriously." She looked worried, or incredulous, or amused; possibly all three combined.

"No. It was for an ongoing gag with a friend. We got bored during the TV writers' strike."

"What kind of person does that? Most people just started reading books, or spent more time with their families." He could be so surreal sometimes.

He continued grinning and shrugged.

She shook her head and continued perusing his collection. Mad scientist, WWI pilot, Stormtrooper, Dr. Who, some sort of creepy monster, scuba diver – "We could have used this earlier" - and the one that first grabbed her attention. She couldn't figure out what it was.

It was a black sweat suit with wires all over it and a small control box. "What's this? Some sort of robot?"

Rick's face positively lit up. "A robot's one of them." She cast a puzzled look. "Put it on."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Put it on." And he flipped the light switch down and shut the door.

"Castle, why'd you do that?"

"It glows. Do you have it on yet?" His voice sounded so eager, she couldn't help but want to do it. Besides, it was pitch dark, and he was a good six feet away.

"Hang on." She stepped into the pants, pulling them up under her robe. She slipped the robe from her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. It was rather thrilling, knowing she was undressing with him right there, but unable to see her. "You better keep that light off."

"Of course." Of course, she didn't need to know how difficult it was to stand there, so close, knowing she was undressing, well, changing, right in front of him, without stepping closer just to touch her. And, of course, she really didn't need to know how well he could see in the dark, even if it was for only a second while he could just make out her bare back when she dropped the robe and pulled on the top. He worked his tongue to draw some moisture back into his mouth since it seemed to have gone dry.

"Okay. It's on. Now what?"

"Now, we turn it on." She heard him step closer but was still startled by how close he was. She felt his hand gently move on her hip, seeking the control box. He found it and pushed a button. Wires on her body lit up, revealing a robot in the full-length mirror at the end of his closet. "Like it?"

She nodded. "Kind of cool."

"Kind of? What? Okay, now, there's the skeleton." With another push of the button, she looked like a skeleton. "See, I've been trying to get you to eat more. You really could use some meat on those bones."

The reflection of the skeleton's arm raised up quickly as she swatted his chest.

"Now put your arms like this." He took her arms in his hands and put them up like she was surrendering. She was just as shocked as he was that she was letting him touch her like that. She _was_ surrendering. He pushed the button, and she looked like she was on fire.

He took her wrists and made her flail around, quietly crying out in his girly voice, "Help, help, save me, Castle! I'm burning!"

She was smiling, but she was also hoping he couldn't feel how very warm she was getting. Burning indeed, especially since she could feel his breath on her neck and his fingers on her hip every time he went to push the button.

There were ten more light-up images on his suit that she was wearing. Several made her laugh. Several "needed" him to "help" her into position so the image would look its best. The last one, though, he claimed was his favorite. He pushed the button again.

She looked back into the mirror. "I'm... a naked woman."

A small step back and a heavy breath were his only responses. He was glad she couldn't see his face right then, because it was probably dark with disappointment and frustration.

She fully expected his to rebut with innuendo. But he'd been missing a lot of golden opportunities lately. Not in the funny way when he very animatedly held his tongue during the alien abduction case when she said, "Let's just stick it in and get it over with," but more like he just didn't find that game so fun anymore.

But she didn't want to lose that – it was so very _them._ So she'd picked up the slack with a whole lot more flirting and innuendo. She wasn't teasing anymore, though. She'd follow through one of these days. She was really working on getting there.

So she looked at the reflection and decided to lighten his mood. Or get him to flirt back. Anything to get him back – the him that didn't look lost anytime someone brought up Roy or her shooting. The him she fell for.

"What's the matter, Castle? Can't stand me being naked in the dark with you?"

She heard his little breath of a laugh.

"You're not naked, Kate. I wouldn't be all the way over here if you were."

Well, damn. Yeah, sometimes he did still make bold comments. But that was definitely _not_ teasing.

"Hmm. So is that the last one? Or are we not done playing dress-up yet?"

"That's it." He was being very abrupt. He didn't sound playful at all anymore.

"So how do I turn this off?"

He could just turn the light back on so she could see the switch. But he just couldn't resist.

She was facing him with the cartoonish outline of a woman lit up on her, and he stepped up to her again. He stopped so much closer than he needed to be.

She could see the blue glow reflecting off of him, dimly illuminating his features. The dark blue of his robe made it practically invisible, but the V of his chest on up was lit so she could see how he tilted his head down to her. His hand slid down her side, reaching the control box. He looked like he was warring with a decision, and she knew exactly which decision that was. Because most of her wanted him to decide to cup the back of her head again and pull her into a kiss. She'd go for it. But she wouldn't initiate it. Not yet.

He could see her looking up at him, lips slightly parted. And damn did he want to kiss her. He was fairly certain she'd let him. She just let him touch her multiple times and didn't hurt him. But her gaze dropped, and she backed up a fraction of an inch. And he knew she wasn't ready yet. He switched the costume off, plunging them back into darkness, but didn't move his hand away.

"Come on," he said, barely above a whisper. She could feel his breath on her forehead. "Let's get some warm clothes on."

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><p><em>Please review! They're addictive like, well, like anything with Nathan Fillion in it.<em>

_More tomorrow!_


	3. Chapter 3

3

Oh, but, oh. It's dark, and his hand is still on her side. They can feel each other's breathing. Neither can manage to step away.

But he knows this closet, where everything is. He doesn't need to see to get what he needs. His other hand gently rests on her waist as he removes the hand from the control box and her hip, and leans impossibly close to her. Snaking his free hand behind her, he reaches to the shelf with the flannel pants and sweat shirts.

"Here," he whispers, his lips so close her hair moves from his breath. "You can borrow these." Slowly, he lowers his arm, bringing the clothes down by her hand. Nothing is cold anymore. He's nearly hot enough to need to go step outside in the freezing cold to cool down a little. He wonders if steam would rise from his skin.

"Thank you." She lets her hand brush against his as she takes the clothes, resisting the desire to pull him to her and untie his robe. She thinks that would be a bad idea. Well, it would be an absolutely wonderful idea, thoroughly delicious, but she doesn't believe either of them have healed enough yet to not end up hurting each other in the long run. And the long run is what she wants. They need to heal more. To trust more. To surrender more. She feels him reaching back up to the shelf to get clothes for himself, his body just barely leaning into hers. She closes her eyes and holds her breath. There's no way she can keep holding back if she breathes him in. His neck is so close to her mouth.

Something soft touches her free hand. His robe. She wonders how her hand raised to touch it, because she certainly didn't intend to reach out to him. But it was only a couple of inches away, and her hand betrayed her brain. He didn't react, so she figured he couldn't feel that she touched his robe. Good.

He was only barely touching her with one hand on her waist, and fabric only barely touched when he reached behind her, and her fingers only barely brushed his when she took the clothes, but her whole body felt flush. She desperately wanted more than just barely being touched by him. God, this was unfair.

She wondered if she could get away with changing into the clothes right then and there, in front of him, if he'd take that as her being vulnerable and trusting and sexy-just-for-him, or if he'd take it as an invitation. Or both, because getting naked, even in the dark, in front of a man who loves her would just be cruel if it wasn't an invitation. What was she thinking, fantasizing about getting naked while he was still standing inches away?

He was tempted to offer to help her out of the costume, so she didn't tangle the wires. She'd see through the excuse, but how would she answer? The tiny bit of light that filtered under the door between the carpet pile let him see the ghost of her closing her eyes. He felt a miniscule touch at his side. Damn, she was going to kill him. Taking clothes for himself, he softly said her name. It wasn't supposed to sound that low and hungry, but it did.

"Kate." Her exhale let him know she'd been holding her breath.

She placed her hand on his chest, and they both nearly came undone. So she took a step back. His hand fell from her side, and she couldn't feel his breath anymore. Damn. Why couldn't she just give in? She let her hand catch the lapel of his robe for a second before she let go.

He hated that she stepped away. Still close enough to easily touch, though. And she touched him. He could feel the warmth of her fingertips on the skin of his chest, the feel of the slight tug on his robe before she broke contact.

Something in him said _it's now or never_. But another part of him said _not now, but soon_. He took a step back.

"Thank you." Her whisper let him know he'd made the right choice.

He backed up to the door before turning around. Dim light came through the door as he opened it. The cold, dreary day outside felt about like the coldness she felt from watching him walk out. He left it open about six inches, letting in enough light for her to see to find the lightswitch. She didn't use it. She stayed planted where she was when he left, watching his shadow fall across his floor as he dressed. Slowly and carefully, she took off his costume, leaving her standing cold and naked in his closet.

He was still in his room, and she knew there was nothing but some space separating them. She could close that distance. She heard him flop on his bed and sigh.

He knew he should leave the room, but she left the door partially open and the light off. But he could hear the movement of her undressing. He couldn't leave, knowing how naked she was just through that door. He laid down to keep himself from walking back in there.

He had to do something, though, before he went stark raving mad. "Wine, coffee, or hot cocoa?" He could fix drinks to help warm her up.

She couldn't decide. Wine would help her relax. Coffee would give her nervous energy. Cocoa would make her feel cozy and snuggly. All three options would make her more willing to act on how she felt. "You pick."

She watched him pass in front of the cracked door, deliberately not looking in. Once he left the room, she finally pulled on the clothes he'd given her.

He pushed a button on a remote control to turn on the fireplace and got a blanket out of a closet. He opted for hot cocoa as the safest choice and put water on to boil. Then he went to gather their clothes to put into the laundry. Being very much aware that this wet, still-cold pile of clothes was_ everything_ Kate had been wearing only served to remind him that she would not be wearing underwear when she came out of his room, and that she wasn't wearing underwear with his costume.

_Funny_, he thought, that he was more turned on by her letting him be close and her playfully wearing his homemade costume than he was by the very, very hot knowledge that she was going commando in his clothes. He came down the stairs with her clothes in his hands as she came out of his room. She'd tied back her hair loosely, and his large clothes were practically falling off of her. How natural would it feel to just give her a quick kiss in passing like it was an everyday thing? He wanted to do just that.

Instead, he barely brushed by her, heading to get his wet clothes, and told her that the water for the cocoa should be about ready. One day, they'll be able to drop easy kisses. Hopefully, one day soon.

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><p><em>If you think she's acting out of character, you'll see what happened that got them in this situation in tomorrow's chapter. So take her flirts in Cuffed &amp; the affection she showed in Cops &amp; Robbers, and the almost-ILY in Countdown; and I don't think this is out of character; it's just a little further down the timeline than they are now. Not much further, mind you, just a tiny bit.<em>

_So, please review. They're addictive like watching outtakes when the team is all laughing - Stana's so gorgeous and Nathan's just plain hot._


	4. Chapter 4

_Did you miss chapter 3? Because it didn't show up on the index yesterday afternoon when I posted it. Weird._

4

He decided to keep her there as long as possible, opting to wash and dry her clothes instead of just drying them. He checked the tags to make sure they weren't dry clean only. Tossing hers in with his, he started the small load, then went to join her. She had mixed up two mugs of cocoa and settled herself in front of the fire with his blanket. She'd taken his mug to the coffee table, setting it next to hers.

Hmm. Cozy. He smiled.

When he entered the room, she didn't look up. But she lifted the blanket next to her so he could see that she's left him plenty of room to join her. Hmm. Very cozy.

He propped his feet in front of the fire and finally spoke. "Warm yet?"

"Mm. Getting close."

They sat, staring at the fire, pretending it was normal for them to be sitting like this, both unsure of what to say next. Their arms touched every time one of them moved.

It would be so easy to snuggle up and wrap their arms around each other. It would feel so good.

The door opened and Alexis walked in, dropped her bookbag on the island, and looked around, searching. Searching for her dad, and shocked to see him under a blanket with Kate in pajamas in front of the fire. He simply said, "Hey Pumpkin. How has your day?" and Kate smiled at her from inside of her dad's sweatshirt.

"Fine. You look like you've had an interesting day." Her voice was confused, not sure that the situation was what it seemed to be.

"Yeah. We chased a suspect onto a bridge, then he acted like he was giving up; but when we got close, he slammed into us to try and knock us over the railing. But I grabbed him, and he tumbled in with us."

"So you got him?"

Kate answered, "Handed him off to the uniforms backing us up and hurried here to get warm. The pond was partially frozen, and the wind was wicked." She left out how long it took for them to fight the guy in the icy water before they subdued him. And how he did his best to drown Beckett before Castle got him off of her. Beat him nearly unconscious to get him off of her. Crackheads are crazy strong. And she left out how she was practically crying from the pain of the icy water burning her lungs as she fought to stay above water.

Alexis gave them a smile and a nod. Of course it wasn't romantic, them sitting there like that. Except she knew what everyone else knew – it was incredibly romantic and that her dad and Kate were pretending it wasn't.

"I'm going to get my homework done then go shopping with Paige. Are you two still going to be here for dinner, or do you have to go back and do paperwork on the arrest?"

Rick let her decide and answer. Kate knew she should get the paperwork in immediately. But the officers could do the initial paperwork since they were there, too. "Dinner, then paperwork."

"You could wait until morning to do it. We've nearly frozen to death before; everyone will understand if you take an evening. The case is closed and the uniforms filed the arrest report."

She nodded, knowing he was right. But if they caught a body in the morning, paperwork would start to pile up. And that always sucks. "We'll see."

"More cocoa?" He was already getting up to make more. He also grabbed the TV remote and pulled up the movie menu, then handed it to Kate, and picked up two throw pillows off the couch and put them on the floor behind her.

If he asked her to lay down with him and watch a movie, she could say no. But if he took for granted that it would be okay, she'd probably go along. He hoped so.

He squirted whipped cream on top of their cocoa then dusted it with cinnamon. Something about that seemed even sweeter, more comfortable, as sappy as that sounded. A movie was starting, but he couldn't tell just yet what she'd picked. It didn't matter.

She thanked him for the cocoa, humming approval when she tasted the rich toppings. Damn, he was thoughtful. He had a little whipped cream on his lip, and she wondered if he left it there on purpose for her to wipe off. _What a dangerous game._ "You've got some…" then she softly swiped her thumb across his lip to wipe the cream away.

"They're not blue anymore." She was looking at his lips. "I was worried."

"I'm warm now." Was that the right answer? God, he didn't want to say the wrong thing. He could have lost her again this afternoon. She got the worse end of the fight.

"I felt cold for days after we got out of the freezer."

"Me too." Even colder, since she was warming up with Josh back then, but he'd already realized he loved her and had broken up with Gina.

"Well, we can warm up together this time." Like she read his mind.

He laid back on a pillow. "Is that an offer?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow, hoping to get her to smile and swat him. Or kiss him – that would work, too.

She gave him a sultry look and answered, "Maybe."

She chuckled at his surprised look, the same one he had when she said that next time they spent the night handcuffed together, she didn't want the tiger there.

A very dangerous game. It was easy to make that comment and walk away in the bullpen, but now she was under a blanket with him in his loft. Flirting.

That was too close, and he looked ready to help her make good on her offer. She got a devilish grin and continued, "Step one to warming up together: toes," and she quickly slipped her feet between his legs.

His sharp inhale and squeak at her toes that felt like ice cubes against the warmth of his thighs took away some of the sexuality of the position, but it was still a _very_ intimate action on her part. You don't do that to just a partner, just a friend.

"What happened to the socks you had on?"

"They weren't helping that much. You can warm me up faster." _Shut up, Kate. Stop saying things like that. You're not ready for this._

"Reeeeally? I get you all hot?" _Stop it Rick. She's not ready for this yet. Or is she?_

She bit her lip. "Let's watch the movie."

He hadn't even noticed that it had started. Glancing up, he grinned. "_Raiders_. Nice choice. I love Indy."

"I know you do." She smiled at him before turning her attention back to his jumbo-sized screen.

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><p><em>Please review! They're addictive like hazelnut-caramel-vanilla coffee with whipped cream on top.<em>

_More tomorrow!_


	5. Chapter 5

5.

This was too much. And too little.

It had been a long time since she'd seen _Raiders of the Lost Ark, _and there was a lot she'd forgotten. Like how much Marion Ravenwood screamed like a big sissy. Seriously, couldn't Indy go for a stronger woman, one who could actually help him instead of just cause trouble for him? The woman screamed to the point of it being comical. Kate got the giggles.

"Can't she grab a shovel and whack the guy in the head? 'Help! Help! Indy, save me!' Goodness, woman, grow a pair!"

He laughed at her mirroring what he'd had her say in his costume earlier. It was good to see her laughing.

"You know who I think Indy would have loved?" She had a teasing glint in her eye.

"Who?" _You._ He couldn't say that, though; now, could he?

"Lara Croft." All guns and sass and strength and hotness.

"You've played Tomb Raider?" He was delighted.

"No. But I liked the movies."

His eyes widened and mouth opened a little with whatever good idea popped into his head. "You know what would be cool?"

She tried to hide her smile. _Me, on top of you. No, that would be hot, not cool. _"I don't know, Castle, What would be cool?"

_Well, almost-snuggling under a blanket with you is pretty damn cool._ "Coordinating costumes at Halloween. You as Lara Croft, me as Indiana Jones."

She laughed. "It's the middle of winter, and you're already thinking about Halloween?"

_No, I'm thinking of an excuse to get you into a costume. Wait, she didn't say no, did she?_

Marion screamed again on the screen, and Indy rolled his eyes in frustration.

Kate continued, "See, if she were more like Lara Croft, she'd whip out a gun with one hand and a scimitar with the other and jump into the fray with him. They'd fight together, save each other's lives, beat the bad guy together, then go make out. Win-win."

He laughed. "So you want Lara and Indy to make out. I'm _definitely_ buying those costumes."

She shook her head like he was being absurd.

They both pretend to not notice the parallel to their own lives, except for the making out part.

For a few more minutes, they focused on the movie from their spot on the floor. Her toes were warm, but she didn't move them from their toasty home between his thighs. Castle said some macho lines along with Indy, proving just how many times he's seen this movie. He quit when he noticed she was watching him with amusement in her eyes.

"What? Like you don't have movies you know most the words to."

She shrugged. Of course she did. But she wasn't going to tell Rick that.

"You're not going to tell me? You're such a spoil sport. If I guess, will you let me know?"

She raised an eyebrow, silently agreeing. He propped up on his elbow to look at her directly. She rolled onto her side to face him. Wow. They were really close.

"_Romeo and Juliet_, with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio."

"Does that count? They didn't change from Shakespeare's words."

"It counts. Their delivery is awesome. 'What is a name? It's neither arm nor face, nor _any other part_ belonging to a man.' She made it sound so dirty!"

Kate laughed. He was right. "Good movie. But not a Top Ten."

"_Princess Bride_. 'Humperdink Humperdink Humperdink!'"

"How'd you do that?" Her shocked look let him know that he'd guessed her favorite movie.

"Does that mean I should get a Buttercup and a Man in Black costume? Or would you prefer Westley as the Farm Boy? But I'm not growing a little ponytail."

"How about Magic Max & his wife? We could pull that off." She really meant to tease him by saying they could dress up as the ugliest people in the movie. But she _knew_ that wasn't what he took from her comment.

"Okay. I'll go for that." _You being my wife? And pulling the costumes off? Yeah, I could go for that._

She swatted his chest. "You know what I meant."

She toyed with his shirt for a second before she moved her hand away from his chest to the floor between them. Her eyes smiled a little as she looked him over, noticing how his hair was drying sticking up because of the firm pillow.

"Rick?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you." _For saving me, again. For waiting for me. For helping this to be easy._

Rick's smile fell away, replaced by hurt. "He had you under before I even got my footing, and he wouldn't let go. If I'd been quicker…. I would have killed him if that was what it took to get you back up. I'm sorry_." I was so scared. I thought I was losing you._

"Rick. You don't have anything to be sorry about. I didn't panic."

He cocked an eyebrow, not understanding her full meaning.

"I knew you were right there. I knew if I could get my footing, I could fight him off. But even if I couldn't, you were there. You would."

Oh.

_Of course, I'd do anything to save you._

"Do you want more cocoa?" _Because if I don't break away, I'm going to have to kiss you._

"No. I'm good." _Just like this. Don't get up._

She held his gaze. Her hand snuck back onto his chest. His rubbed her upper arm. Alexis snuck out to go shopping, trying to be silent so she wouldn't spoil their moment.

His fingers softly stroked up and down her arm then around to her back, delicately tracing around her shoulder blades.

_Now or never_ was running through his mind again. Her hand on his chest would stop him if he was overstepping. But the look in her eye said she was ready.

* * *

><p><em>x<em>

_A/N: What? You don't want me to stop there? But what about the 'will they/ won't they' tension? I'll leave you frustrated for the night, because that's what would happen on the show, right?_

_Please review! They're addictive like this story: www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com/s/2956720/1/Bolivia_


	6. Chapter 6

_Last night, the website was showing that stories had been updated, but didn't actually show the chapter, for about an hour. It did it again for a little while this morning. So back up a chapter if you missed ch. 5._

_6_

They were so very close lying like that – Kate on her side with her arm tucked under her pillow, and Rick facing her propped up on his elbow. Only inches apart. Her hand on his chest. His hand on her back.

She knew he was about to kiss her, and she wanted him to. _Finally. Why have I taken so long to surrender to this? …Because we could hurt each other so very much._

A little crease appeared between her eyebrows, and he wasn't sure if it was from worry or fear or just a random thought. But he had to be sure. He spoke just above a whisper. "You know, Kate, Princess Buttercup was a lot more helpless than Marion Ravenwood. Marion has a mean right hook." He smiled, hoping to comfort whatever concern was in her head.

That wasn't at all what she expected him to say right then. It made her smile back. "But that's the difference between an adventure and a fairy tale. In the fairy tale, it's okay to be helpless and let your true love save you." She looked at him with big, soft eyes.

She continued, "Besides, Indiana Jones and Lara Croft aren't exactly yin and yang."

"Well, I'm not exactly Indiana Jones, am I?"

_Oh, so we're done with pretending that whole conversation wasn't about us. _

"No, Rick… you're much sweeter."

"I save you, you save me, and we fight the bad guys together. We're halfway between the fairy tale and the adventure." _Because your true love will always try to save you._

Kate wondered how many times Rick would tell her he loves her without actually saying it. He did it in the book, and he just did it again.

He watched her expression shift back to that alluring half-smile.

"Very true, Rick." _True. True love. That's what this is, isn't it?_

Her fingers tightened on his sweat shirt and pulled him slightly closer. It was all the permission he needed.

Gently, delicately, he touched his lips to hers. The slight brush of lips stole her breath. His hand flattened on her back, holding her there. His heart raced under her palm.

He tilted his head back to see her eyes and make sure she wasn't panicking. But her eyes were closed.

When his lips didn't touch hers again, she opened her eyes. The doubt on his face and the pressure of his hand broke her heart. "I'm not going anywhere, Rick. I want to be right here."

He smiled as she lifted up to kiss him.

It was sweet and soft and full of hope. Full of love.

He whispered against her lips, "I'm glad you're okay."

She moved her kisses along his jaw until she reached his ear, whispering, "Of course I'm okay. You saved me."

The attention she paid to his ear and neck shifted the mood to a less leisurely, less tentative tempo. By the time she made it back to his mouth, he'd pulled her so her body was pressed against his. Her leg wrapped around his. Her fingers slid under his shirt. Their kisses turned hot and passionate.

Finally.

A thought niggling at the back of Kate's mind worked its way to the front. Alexis. Is here. Dinner.

She pulled away, breathlessly trying to find words to tell him why they need to back off and not get caught by his daughter. "Castle…. Slow down."

He backed up. "Right. Sorry."

His chest was heaving; he was just as breathless as she was. But he was afraid he'd gone too far.

"No." _Words, Kate. Find them so you don't hurt him. _His face fell with her No. "Nothing's wrong. I just don't want Alexis finding us like this."

_Oh. Ohhh. Good._ Her fist was still tugging his shirt, holding him to her. She wasn't pushing him away. _Good._

"Yeah. Right. Good." He looked around and saw no evidence of his daughter. She must still be studying. It was dark outside and the movie was ending. "She wanted dinner with us, right?"

Kate was looking at his mouth. "Yeah."

He relaxed his grip, but she still didn't pull away. She was still trying to steady her breathing and buried her face against his neck. Her hand that found its way under his shirt remained there on his skin. Everything in her wanted to keep going. Surely his bedroom door had a lock, right?

He nuzzled her hair, planting kisses on her head. Her hand was teasing him, way too close to his waistband, slowly rubbing his side. Slowly driving him crazy. He wanted so badly to take her to his room or to call up to Alexis and tell her to go ahead and go to meet Paige so he could stay right there on the floor in front of the toasty fire with Kate.

But it was probably for the best. Stripping her clothes off of her fifteen minutes after the first time they kiss for real would probably be moving too fast.

"Are you hungry?" His voice was so deep and velvety, she couldn't help but want him more.

"Very." She began kissing his neck again.

His hands were roaming, weren't they? Up and down her back, down her side, then her hip, then down the outside of her thigh that was still draped over his.

"Then let's make dinner… mmm… and kick my child out… aahhh, Kate, you've got to stop or I won't be able to."

She stopped kissing his neck and chuckled. "Can you order delivery so we don't have to get up yet?"

His phone was in his room, so he grabbed his remote and switched the TV to the internet connection and ordered Chinese online.

They lay there, touching, barely restrained, letting their fingers slip beneath fabric to touch skin, but not for long, because it was too tantalizing.

She rolled back onto her back, laying her head on the small pillow, and he propped back up on his elbow.

He ran his fingers along her cheek, soft enough to tickle. "I'm _so_ going to buy a Man in Black costume."

She laughed and sighed, "_My hero_," with enough playfulness to almost sound sarcastic. Almost.

His hand rested on her stomach where the hem had lifted to expose a sliver of skin. He'd only seen her so unashamedly turned on once before. When she drove his Ferrari. After flying through traffic, weaving at dangerous speeds, barely throttling the power, she'd handed back the keys with a glazed look and a breathy, "Nice car." Then she went into the club with him looking sexy as hell in that tiny tight dress and danced. All up on him. So freaking hot. They'd have to do that again.

But on his floor in his sweatshirt and flannel pants and nothing underneath (no, he hadn't forgotten) with that same almost-gasping bedroom-eyes so-turned-on look, plus a smile and the implication that he was her true love… _damn, my kid needs to leave_.

"What are you thinking?" She knew it was such a girl question, that most guys aren't thinking when they're in the condition he was in, but he was obviously thinking about something.

"We need to go dancing. With no case involved." She looked skeptical. "You can drive my car."

She grinned. "Okay. But I don't think these clothes will do."

"I think I can help with getting you out of them."

_Oh, please do. I won't run. I'm here. I'm in this. For real. How much homework does Alexis have?_

He watched her eyes answer him. She's ready.

Oh, God. Finally.

The bell rang – the food was there. He kissed her again before getting up. "Let's eat."

* * *

><p><em>Reviews. Addicted. Caskett makeout scene. Um, yeah. <em>


	7. Chapter 7

7

Castle paid the delivery boy and gave him a generous tip while Kate pulled out three plates, bowls, spoons, and forks.

Rick brought the cartons over to the table and began popping the lids open.

"Alexis! Food's here!" As he opened cartons, he went ahead and divvied up their regular orders between them, setting wontons and egg rolls in the middle.

"Egg drop soup?" He offered the large Styrofoam to Kate.

"Mm. Yes." She poured some in her bowl and then in Rick's, too, tossing a few wontons in each bowl. She put an egg roll on both plates while he spooned on fried rice.

"Could you pass the soy sauce?" she asked, scooping Kung Pao onto her plate.

"As you wish," he answered with a smile.

She grinned.

They had empty cups, so she played along. She nodded toward the pitcher of tea, saying, "Farm Boy, fetch me that pitcher."

"As you wish." And he stepped into her personal space while pouring their drinks, pausing to kiss her ear. Her breath caught; she leaned into the kiss, but it ended after only a second.

They both looked at the stairs at the same time.

"Alexis! Come on! I'm going to eat your fortune cookie if you don't hurry up!"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled, "You'd do it, too, wouldn't you?"

"You gonna stop me?" He took a sip of tea, feigning nonchalance.

"I do have handcuffs." She raised an eyebrow and gave him _that_ look.

He choked a little on his tea. So much for nonchalance.

They began eating and talking, just like always. There were the usual heated looks, but since they were finally giving in to the inevitable, their bodies still buzzed and responded more than ever to the little innuendo-laced comments.

Finally, Rick had enough. He was trying so damn hard to behave himself since his kid was home and he didn't want to scar her for life by having her walk in on him ravishing the good detective (although he was really impressed with Kate's maternal instinct to not damage Alexis with the sight, even though she's not a parent.) He put down his fork and headed for the stairs.

"Lex!" No answer. He climbed the stairs, beginning to worry. "Alexis!" He looked in her room – empty – and her bathroom door was open and the lights were off. Her bookbag was zipped shut next to her desk and her school clothes were on the bed.

He called down, "Kate? Do you see Alexis's coat and purse by the door?"

Kate was beginning to get concerned, too, and a quick check showed Lex's stuff neither by the door nor in the coat closet. "Looks like she left without saying goodbye."

Rick went to get his phone anyway and called his daughter, just to be sure.

"Hey Dad! Are you having a cozy evening?" She sounded amused and a little smug.

"I was until the food I ordered for the three of us arrived and you were nowhere to be found."

"Oh, sorry. You looked like you were having a moment, and I didn't want to intrude."

_So what did she see us doing in that "moment?"_

"So… um… when exactly did you leave?"

Alexis laughed. "Why, were you doing something that would make me want to burn my retinas out if I saw?"

Her joking question was met with silence. "Aw, ew, Dad, gross!"

"No, no, we weren't doing that, just … it was a nice moment." He thought that was a good recovery. "So, how long are you staying out?"

"Maybe a couple of hours. It _is_ a school night."

"Alright, Pumpkin. See you later. Have fun."

Kate was smiling when he turned back to her. He settled into his chair, touching his feet to hers.

She was still smiling. "My dad used to say, 'Be good.' You say, 'Have fun.'"

"Well, I have an inkling of what you do for fun. If I were your dad, I'd say 'Be good,' too. But I know her, and sometimes she has to be reminded to have fun."

She glided her toe up his leg. "How is that possible, with being around you? You can make nearly anything fun."

His face brightened with surprise and joy. "You think I'm fun?"

She pursed her lips in a little smile. "Maybe just funny looking."

"Want me to list times when you looked funny? Starting with wearing my costume in my closet?"

She scoffed. "When have I looked funny around you?"

They both wore smiles to show they were teasing.

He really couldn't think of any time she looked funny. Cute, sexy, serious, angry, beautiful, yes; but not funny.

"So, um, Kate…"

He still smiled, but she thought she was getting a nervous vibe from him. "Yeah?"

"So… are you going to go in and do your paperwork after dinner?"

She glanced down. She _should_ go do it. "Well, I don't have any dry clothes yet, so I really couldn't even if I wanted to."

He didn't look any less nervous. "But… do you want to?"

"To leave?" _He looks so cute trying to look like it's okay with him if I leave. _"No, I don't want to. I think this is exactly where I want to be."

A tight smile of pride grew on his face, and he bobbed his head a little along with the happy dance occurring inside his mind.

Rick stood, took both of their plates to the coffee table, and turned the TV to Pearl Jam on Live at Austin City Limits. Kate followed with their tea and soup.

Leaning against each other's sides, they finished their meal while Kate told him a "fun" story from high school, the memory brought up by one of the old Pearl Jam songs. Her high school years were wilder than his, while his adulthood was wilder than hers.

"I'm glad Alexis isn't like either one of us."

"Yeah, you really lucked out on that one, Castle."

He laughed and took their empty dishes to the sink.

She stood up to go help him clean up, but the new song, "Just Breathe," came on. She'd heard it before and thought it was hauntingly beautiful. She watched, mesmerized. It was so fitting for them.

Rick held in his comment that the violinist looked like Weird Al when he saw Kate being sucked in by the song. He walked up behind her. His arms snaked around her waist as he began listening to the words:

…_Under everything, I'm just another human being, _

_Yeah, I don't wanna hurt, there's so much in this world to make me bleed._

_Stay with me..._

_You're all I see._

_Did I say that I need you?_

_Did I say that I want you?_

_Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see..._

_No one knows this more than me_

_As I come clean._

Kate leaned back against him and they swayed to the music.

She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck, laying her head on his chest.

This song always reminded her of both Royce and Castle. The first time she heard it was while they were in LA. She'd just read Royce's letter again when it came on the radio. And Castle was being the perfect partner, giving all he could to help her.

Eddie Vedder continued:

_I wonder everyday_

_as I look upon your face,_

_Everything you gave_

_And nothing you would take._

_Nothing you would take_

_Everything you gave..._

_Did I say that I need you?_

_Oh, did I say that I want you?_

_Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see..._

_No one knows this more than me._

_As I come clean, ah-ah..._

_Hold me till I die._

_Meet you on the other side._

Even then, in Los Angeles, she knew that this was going to happen. It almost happened then. As they danced, she wondered how the next few months would have played out if she'd opened her hotel room door ten seconds earlier. Or if she hadn't panicked and ran in the first place.

"Castle?"

"Mm?"

"Sorry it took so long to get here."

He hugged her tighter and kept dancing, even though the song had ended.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Here's the song, used at the end of "To Live & Die in LA"_

_www__**(dot)**__youtube__**(dot)**__com__**(slash)**__watch?v=Eo-UKCxCglg_

_So, please review! I don't want this story to just be an excuse for Caskett nookie. I like telling their story! I'm addicted to reviews like I'm addicted to this song & "Tremble" & "Hey Mama"._


	8. Chapter 8

_A reviewer said the Pearl Jam link was a US-only site & provided the international link (or it at least works in Canada.) _

video(dot)pbs(dot)org(slash)video(slash)1333048905(slash)

_I'm glad almost all of you loved the song, too!_

* * *

><p>They danced, with the applause of the crowd at Austin City Limits in the background. Kate tilted her head up to look into Rick's eyes.<p>

"That's okay. We're here." He kissed her and ignored the feeling that the cheering and applause was for them finally making it here.

The band started playing again, a faster song from their new album, more in line with the style of their classic music. The beat, the rhythm, the pulsing thrummed through them, making their slow dance and sweet kisses impassioned once again. Except, this time, they knew there was no teenager in the house. Nothing to stop them but themselves.

Rick expected her to have a line he couldn't cross, not yet. He didn't know where that line would be, but he forced himself to keep some blood in his brain so that he could reign himself in when she said to.

Kate expected him to be the perfect gentleman, as usual. (Banter aside, he never pushed her or pressured her for more than she could give.) She expected to only take this further if she chose to. If she instigated the advance. If she pulled his shirt over his head and started kissing her way across (or down) his chest. But, wait, was she prepared to do that?

Oh, God, she's been wanting to for so damn long.

Only, Rick didn't wait for her. He couldn't. He'd been waiting so long for her, that he could barely restrain himself. His hands slid along her back under her shirt. Then one hand back out to tug the oversized sweatshirt and expose her shoulder, then lavished it with wet kisses. He pressed her up against him, so she could feel how much effect she had.

Her breath caught and her heart raced. She felt his hands on places she'd only dreamt of him touching; though none of those places were intimate, the way he touched her made it intimate. His lips found her ear. Was that a growl she just heard? Damn. _Damn this man and what he does to me._

He could tell she was pulling him, so he stepped to follow. Where they went, he didn't care. His bed would be preferable. Bed, floor, outside in the freezing cold, wherever. He'd follow.

She pulled him down onto the floor, onto the blanket they'd been lying under, never releasing him, never removing her lips fully from his skin. _Damn, he's an amazing kisser._

Or maybe he was a horrible kisser, but she was too infatuated to notice.

The firelight made her hair and eyes sparkle. He'd never say that to the guys when they pressured him for details, but it was a detail he loved.

"God, Kate, you're beautiful."

Her cold fingers found the hem of his shirt and slid underneath it, finding their way to his chest. Goosebumps puckered from the cold running across his warm -nearly hot- skin. He wondered about her ice cube trick; if her cold hand could make him react like that, he could only imagine what an ice cube in her hot mouth could do.

Under two hours until Alexis would get home. He wanted all night. He wanted a lifetime.

So did she.

She loved how he was holding back but not completely in control. She loved that she did that to him. That even though he wanted to not push her, he was having trouble resisting the siren song of her quickened breathing.

She loved that he could make her heart flutter by softly touching her hip, that he could make her forget to breathe by touching his tongue to her collarbone.

She loved that he was here. That he was always here, no matter what. That he saved her, so many times, in so many ways.

She loved the firelight in his always-perfect hair. Even when it was messed up, it was still great hair. He could be a hair model.

She tugged his shirt off of him before he even tried to touch anything he hadn't been given permission to touch. _Jeez, he's got a nice chest._

"You've got to stop hiding this, Castle."

What? Hiding what? How much he wanted to touch her, to kiss her, all the time? His face registered confusion and she smiled.

"All this hidden under baggy plaid shirts?" There was teasing in her voice, and he wasn't sure if she was serious.

"Is that so?" He kissed her chest where it was exposed by the loose collar, and her lower half pressed against him again.

"Mm hmm." She breathed heavily and couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten this hot while fully dressed. She wasn't sure it had ever happened.

His roaming hands stayed on her skin while pushing her shirt up at the same time. He felt her abs quiver under his fingertips. Her full belly made her softer, hid how thin she's gotten. He was waiting for her to stop him. He wanted to undress her, ignore her scars, touch her in ways that would make her writhe, and he thought she wouldn't let him.

She wanted him to at least pull her shirt off. But she didn't want him to make a big deal about her scars. She wanted to be just a woman, not a wounded, scarred, damaged woman. She swallowed, hoping he got that about her, and relaxed her arms by her head, allowing him access.

He propped himself above her with one arm so the other hand was free to touch. He was lost in her kisses, but he still felt her hands skim up his sides, then her touch left his body. He opened his eyes and broke the kiss to take in why. She was again in a position of surrender. Looking intently at him, not pulling, letting go of control. Calmly. With a damn seductive look in her eyes. Was she letting him do this? Letting him lead, letting him touch her, letting him see her? He wasn't sure if he should move ahead, or if the cold froze her brain a little, and she would regret this come morning.

He nudged her shirt up, his palm hot on her skin, but he kept his eyes on hers. He didn't remove the shirt, either, only exposed what a bikini would show. Well, a skimpy bikini. His hand continued under her top, his touch making her flinch then smile.

She thought she was going to stay in control, guide their progress, draw the line, but the look of tender adoration made her want to relinquish control – relinquish, not lose; that's different. Then when his hand on her made her jump a little, his expression turned more lustful, but it still held the love. And that's what it was. Not just adoration, it was love. The voice of the priest in _The Princess Bride_ flitted through her mind, saying, "Wuv, twue wuv." The realization struck her again, and she smiled brightly.

Rick remained deliberate and slow, wanting to keep that smile on her face and panic far, far away. He interlocked his fingers with hers and kissed her again. Mmmm, he could go on like this for hours. Maybe he would. No crossed lined, no regrets. No teenagers walking in in about an hour catching them in the act. He kissed her, hoping he was showing her how much he loved her, hoping that she understood the care he was taking in protecting her, protecting them, by not taking her now, like he wanted to. Desperately wanted to. And as long as his barely-tethered desire didn't break free and take control, he could draw this out into an all-night seduction, and she would choose how far it went.

* * *

><p><em>Please review! I'm addicted to reviews like I'm addicted to watching the convention panel discussions with the Castle or Firefly cast. <em>

_This chapter was so hard to write since I watched NF reading Page 105 at Comic Con again. That cracks me up every time. But it also makes writing a romantic scene sound ridiculous, since that's the NF voice I'm hearing. Colog-nuh. Haha!_


	9. Chapter 9

_9_

Kate had missed this. Although she'd never even known that she was missing this. She'd forgotten what it was like to let go. She'd forgotten what it was like to not guard herself. But he was being so careful, she didn't have to keep her defenses up. She didn't have to protect herself, not from him.

She'd surprised him so many times recently – when he expected her to push away but instead she'd tugged a little closer. Like when they were handcuffed, and she smiled down at him and said, "Hold my hand." Not "take" or "grab," but "hold." It shocked him so much that she didn't know what to say, so she fell back into the expected and blamed the desire to hold his hand on the handcuffs hurting their wrists. She even threw in an eye-roll. But she was tired of playing the part he expected her to play, they one she had trained him to expect. She'd been growing more and more tired of the act over the last few months, and this, now, this felt too right to keep pretending she doesn't love him too.

"Rick?" Could she do this?

"Kate." He breathed her name and slowed his exploration of her neck with his mouth.

She tilted her head up, loving what he was doing to her neck and how his hand teased her body and how soft his hair was in one of her hands and how strong his back was under her other.

She moaned softly.

"Kate?"

"Mmm?"

A kiss on her earlobe. "You were going to say something?"

"Mmm… mm… my feet are cold."

He wondered if she meant it literally or figuratively. He moved the blanket to cover her lower half, then ran his fingers up her legs, over her hips, bare from the loose flannel pants riding down as her body moved, then he pulled his hands away.

His almost-tickling soft touch made her muscles clench and her back arch. Then he wasn't touching her anymore. She ran a finger along his jaw to lift his eyes to hers. She found doubt there.

What if her cold feet comment was figurative? If she was asking him to stop, confessing her fear? What if she was finally drawing that line he was expecting? He angled his head into her hand, hoping her eyes would tell him. Her eyes always said more than her words.

She knew what his unspoken questions were. They were plainly written on his face. The easy thing would be to slide her hand into his pants and make him forget his questions. But without the answers, this would all be empty, _merely_ physical. She owed him more than that, and she knew it.

She smiled and kissed him again. Okay, she really meant to talk, but he was just so irresistible laying there with no shirt on, a concerned look on his face, and a visible attraction to her. Which was even more irresistible since he had stopped himself from kissing her or touching her bare midriff since he wasn't sure if it was still okay.

She pulled her body against his, their stomachs touching, her eyes open, watching his reaction while she peppered his face with small kisses. All the while, she worked up the courage to just talk to him, the mantra _I'm not afraid_ repeating in her head but not convincing her; then the memory of his voice worked its way in, _You've got this, Kate, _ and she began to believe it.

She pulled back only slightly, their bodies still pressed together, to ask, "Do you remember what the Grandfather read after Westley got the pitcher?"

_What? Back to the movie? What he said? No. Grampa. Columbo. Um. Pitcher. As you wish. 'But Westley was really saying I love you.'_

His breath hitched and she could see his reaction when he remembered.

_Oh, crap, she thinks I told her I Love You. Again. Inadvertently. Which I did. Not so inadvertently. Is she okay with that?_

Her sly smile and the way she studied him, and the fact that she was holding him against her, sure looked like she was okay with that.

He waited, but she didn't speak again. She traced his navel with her finger then kissed his jaw then his neck. Then his chest, then, _Oh, god,_ she kissed his stomach. Warm, wet, open-mouthed kisses. Over and over. Trying to kill him, she was.

His hands were hot on her waist, pushing her onto her back. Kissing her roughly and bearing down from on top of her, he pushed her just as close to the brink as she had just pushed him. Then he pulled back again, growling, "_Katherine_, if you're going to do that to me, you _damn well_ better mean it."

Mustering her best "take me, I'm yours" look, she whispered, "As you wish." Then she grinned, proud of herself, because she did it; she said it; yeah, she did.

His mouth crashed onto hers, nearly violent in its assault, because she just said as plainly as if she'd said he makes songs make sense that she loves him. She _loves_ him.

And the phone on his coffee table beeped but they ignored it, too wrapped up in each other to give attention to anything else. But five minutes later, it beeped again.

Chest heaving, not breaking eye contact with Kate, pissed at the interruption, Rick lifted a hand to fumble around and find his phone. She was nearly breathless underneath him, watching him, eyes glassy with desire and uncertainty, but without fear.

He pushed a button on the phone then finally tore his eyes from her.

The first text, from Alexis, _On my way home. Be there in 15. Is Kate still there?_

The second text, also from Alexis, _Paige's dad's GF at her place- she's coming home with me. Is there any food left?_

_Damnit._ "Damn. _Damn."_

"What is it, Castle?"

"Lex & Paige will be here in ten minutes."

* * *

><p><em>AN: And, yet you keep reading, even though I always do something like that. Mwahahahaha!_

_So please review! Reviews are addictive like heroin. No, heroin's bad. Like chocolate._


	10. Chapter 10

10

"Then you'd better get your shirt back on." Was that disappointment in her voice? He hoped so.

But he obeyed her suggestion and pulled the blue sweatshirt back over his head. Her hands were still on his stomach, so he only pulled it as far down as he could without moving her. Then he pulled her into an embrace, kissing the top of her head.

She wrapped her arms around him and savored every bit of it. How she could feel his back muscles under her hands, his heartbeat pounding against her cheek, how 'happy' he was pressed against her belly. Wow.

"Are you still cold?" Concern showed in his voice. "You're shivering."

She was? _Quivering, not shivering. _She wasn't about to say that, though. She nodded.

He pulled the blanket up around them and held her close again.

He got the remote and found _Princess Bride_ on demand, then skipped to the Fire Swamp, so that it would look like they'd been watching it for a while.

"Really, Castle? You're conning your daughter?"

"Well, do_ you_ want to tell my innocent child what we've really been doing for the last couple of hours?"

"Not so much."

She ran her fingernails softly down his side and kissed his neck gently.

He hummed in pleasure.

"I can't believe you're skipping the sword fight." Her lips brushed against his jaw.

"I've got fencing rapiers if you're interested in a sword fight. But be warned. I'm _really good_ with my sword."

"So I've heard." She smirked, knowing he wasn't talking about a sword at all.

They could hear female voices outside the door and Alexis's key turning the lock. They separated. Mostly. They made sure their shirts were pulled down and moved a respectable distance apart before the girls came into view. But they still shared the blanket as they turned their attention to the movie.

"Dad, we're here!"

"Hey girls. Did you have a nice time?" Nothing in his tone betrayed the state of his emotions or his body.

Alexis prattled on about the new boutique they went to while getting out a plate for Paige. Paige caught sight of the pair on the floor and waited until she thought the sound of the microwave muffled their voices. Then she asked, "Is that your dad's girlfriend? I thought we came here so we wouldn't have to listen to old people sex."

Alexis scoffed. "No, they work together. It took four years before they got to _that_. The rate they're going, _I'll_ be pregnant before _her_."

Kate blushed a deep crimson. Castle erupted in a coughing fit.

Alexis's eyes bulged in humiliation that they heard her comment and stammered, "Uh, we're going to… go eat... um… in my room. And watch TV." The girls ran up the stairs with their plates.

Castle was mortified. "Kate did that mean she's having sex?" The words rushed out.

Kate had her hands covering her face. She shook her head. "No, Castle, it means, we're going to take a long time before we have 'old people sex,' even longer than she'll take before she does it. Sounds like she's not and doesn't intend to do it for a while yet."

She finally uncovered her face to see the look of panic she knew he wore. It was there, but not solely focused on his little girl upstairs. He was much more focused on Kate than she expected. Gauging her reaction, perhaps? She couldn't quite make out what he was thinking.

The idea that his baby girl could already be sexually active was certainly a mood-killer. But she was gone upstairs, and while the concern still lingered, the woman at his side was still red with embarrassment. Embarrassment, because his daughter _expected_ them to eventually have sex. She _expected_ him to get Kate pregnant. Was everyone expecting this?

Rick hoped Lex was right. As Kate removed her hands from her face, he watched her, completely in love with the idea of making a baby with her. Or two, or three, or ten. Or just practicing for it all the time. This would be a bad time to say that out loud, right? Too soon?

Rick pulled Kate back to him, hoping she wasn't about to freak out and abandon him, rubbed her back, and affectionately whispered, "She's right about one thing."

Kate tried hard to not tense up. "What's that?" She mumbled against his chest.

"It took us four years to get here." He nudged her so he could look in her eyes. "Rushing things isn't something you have to worry about. I can be patient."

She relaxed and smiled her tight-lipped smile. "_Really,_ Castle? You? Patient?"

He cocked an eyebrow up and pressed her firmly against him and asked in a low growl, "Why? Do you want to see me be impatient?" The tender reassurance was gone from his face and voice, replaced completely by desire.

Kate's breath caught again. Yeah, she liked it when Castle was bold. She swallowed and hesitated, flicking her eyes down to his lips while she decided on what she wanted.

What she'd always wanted.

"Careful, Castle, your kid might take this as permission for her to make you a grandpa."

He backed up, not sure how to take her joke. Um, did that mean she's ready for sex? For a baby? For Alexis to know about this? That Alexis will start having sex?

"_Kidding_, Rick. I don't have _any_ intention of getting knocked up before I get married."

Whoa! What? Does that mean she wants to marry him? Or is she just messing with his mind?

"And I'm sure Alexis doesn't either."

"Kate, you're really _not_ helping."

Kate laughed at him. That full laugh where she tilts her head back and all her teeth show. The one he loves, but rarely gets to see.

"Relax, big guy. Enjoy whatever happens, at whatever speed it happens."

Then she snuggled up to him, using his arm as a pillow, and wrapped her arm around his torso.

This, right here, was perfect. She could stay wrapped up in him forever.

"Stay." His voice was soft. She nodded into his neck.

In silence, they stayed like that for a while. She was sometimes totally lost in thoughts, of wondering if they really would manage to make it to marriage and babies. She sometimes let the background noise of the movie influence her thoughts.

_You were mostly dead all day. _Andre the Giant's voice reminded her of the terror in Rick's eyes when she first broke the surface of the icy water, gasping air into her burning lungs and gagging on the water she was coughing up.

Funny how a brush with death makes you more willing to go after what you want in life.

She was thankful she'd obeyed Gates's rule and called in where they were and asked for back-up. She'd shoved the handcuffed man at the uniformed officers (Why didn't they jump into the water to help? Maybe the fight was faster than it had seemed?), told them to book him and to tell Gates that they were going home to get warm and dry. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to deal with any more interruptions, because hopefully no one expected them back in this evening.

She wanted to stay here, in her cocoon of Richard Castle. Warm and safe and loved.

His slow stroking up and down her back was calming and relaxing, but the floor was hard and not very comfortable.

"Rick?"

"Hm?"

"Is there a fireplace in your room?"

"No, but there are silk sheets. Silk is an excellent insulator. We'll get you warmed up in no time."

He kissed her sweetly and helped her to her feet. He threaded his fingers through hers and led her to his bedroom.

* * *

><p><em>Please leave me a review! I'm addicted to them like I'm obviously addicted to Caskett Unresolved Sexual Tension. Are y'all about ready to resolve some of it?<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_Merry Christmas!_

11

Neither one of them really expected the silk to be the only thing warming her up. Neither, still, knew where the line would be drawn tonight. The question was no longer "will they/ won't they," but was now simply "_when_ will they?" Would it be tonight?

Kate watched him appraise her from the corner of her eye. He seemed to be alternating between making sure she wasn't about to wig out and wanting to kiss her bare shoulder again.

He'd led her into his room, pointed out the remote controls (just in case she needed to run, maybe she wouldn't actually run away) and said she could turn on the TV or music if she wanted.

He went to brush his teeth, and she went to peruse his framed photos. It says a lot about a man: which photos he displays. Of the many photo ops Castle had been in, the politicos and stars he'd met, not one was in a photo. Only family.

She was smiling at a picture of him and Alexis from around 14 years ago when he eased back into the room, so he watched her from the doorway. He couldn't tell from where he stood that she was watching him watch her. It struck her once again how different he truly was from the man he'd pretended to be when they first met. Sweet, caring, generous, insecure at times, protective. Not at all the cocky jackass of four years previous.

Once she sat the framed photo back on the shelf, he said, "I put a new toothbrush out for you."

"Thank you, Castle." Her voice was soft. She let herself into the bathroom and shut the door. He found himself staring at the door, marveling at how many more levels there were to her than he'd first assumed. He'd read her so well, during that first case: smart, from a wealthy family, well-educated, just a little damaged from losing someone, and sexy as hell. She could match his wit and he immediately loved that. But now he knew how it felt to see her fall apart, completely broken, then to watch her pull the pieces back together, to catch her looking at him the same way he looked at her, to feel her rest in his arms, to see her be sappy and romantic and angry and jealous and afraid, to need her, and for her to need him.

He was turning down the bed as she came out of the bathroom.

With him out of sight, doubt began worming its way back into her thoughts. She shouldn't be here. She should go home. This was too fast. If it was meant to be, they could take their time. If there was such thing as 'meant to be.'

As soon as she opened the door, she hesitated, and he saw it. He walked over to her - confidence in his posture and gait, but not in his eyes- wrapped his arms around her, and spoke quietly into her ear. "Kate, stay with me. Don't leave me."

Her breath caught with the memory of the last time he'd said that. Only, that time, she was dying. _Kate, stay with me. Don't leave me. Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate_. She could have died again today. She returned his embrace, tucking her head under his chin.

He felt her nod and held her tighter.

He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to let go, didn't want to pressure her, and didn't want to give her the chance to walk away.

"Are you tired? Or can I kiss you again?" Richard Castle, being timid. He was adorable.

"Depends. Are you going to model some of those costumes for me?" She nodded toward the closet door behind him.

He laughed and the reticence was gone.

"Mm. Fashion show. Which would you like to see me in?" He stepped toward the door, keeping hold of her hand, and gave her a teasing eyebrow waggle.

"Well that depends, too." His eyes asked her to continue. "Depends on which one is easiest to take off."

_Oh, hell._

She tugged his hand, pulling him back to her, and kissed him. Whatever doubts she'd entertained while brushing her teeth were wiped away by his sweetness and by knowing that he loves her.

She wanted this, she needed this, needed him. Her kisses grew needy, too, like she couldn't get enough. Rick pulled back, one last time, to look into her eyes and make sure this really was what he wanted it to be – meaningful, precious, binding ; she held his gaze, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip, saying all she could without saying anything, that this really was it; she saw when he was sure, flicked her eyes to his lips then back to his eyes; and he hijacked her seduction by forcefully kissing her and backing her to the bed.

They fell onto it grasping urgently, working their way to the middle of the bed, and he never stopped looking at her. For hours, whether they were being impatient, racing to make the other moan harder and pant faster, or while they were being soft and tender and slow, he watched her. He watched when she squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed by what he was doing to her, he looked while she sucked too hard on his chest, marking him. He watched all of her reactions, wanting to know what made her feel impossibly good.

She couldn't watch it all. Sometimes it was just too much. How he made her feel, how attuned to her he was, how much it felt like a crazy good dream. She couldn't help but shut her eyes involuntarily as her body arched into his and her head reared back into the pillow and she stopped breathing altogether until her lungs forced her to gasp in more air. But she saw enough. She saw how he looked at her like she was the most important thing in the world. She saw what made him lose control then did that to him again and again. She saw him shudder with pleasure. She saw him grit his teeth to stifle noises his daughter would otherwise hear.

She saw him beam when she smiled at him. She watched him laugh at the quirky comment she whispered in his ear. She saw him fighting to keep his eyes open just to look at her longer as they fell asleep in each other's arms afterward. She saw him drooling a little when she woke up in the middle of the night and carefully slipped out of his embrace.

She dressed – in the clothes he'd given her – and got a glass of water. And she went back.

Back to his bed, back to his arms, back to him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Good Christmas gift? Please review! _

_And make sure to actually worship the Lord on the day we celebrate his earthly birth! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. (And if you're not Christian, I hope you have a great day!)_


	12. Chapter 12

12

Alexis got up extra early to have time to wash the shirt she wanted to wear to school. Though they normally had their laundry done by a service, they still had a small laundry room in the loft. While it wasn't anything new to have to throw her dad's clothes into the dryer or occasionally find something of her gram's, this was a first: there was a bra and panties in with her dad's clothes. And ladies slacks and a blouse. Definitely not Gram's.

"No way."

Alexis left and checked next to the door. Kate's shoes and damp coat were still there.

"No. Way."

She looked in the guest room. Empty.

Slack-jawed, she went back to the laundry room, wondering how she could have been so wrong. Then again, they'd had a perfectly nonromantic reason for lying in front of the fireplace, so maybe Kate had agreed to take the movie-watching to his comfortable bed (he can be very persuasive), but had erected a barrier of pillows between them to keep her dad in line. Yeah. That was it. Had to be.

Satisfied with her theory, Alexis got the dryer going then put her own clothes in to wash.

* * *

><p>Martha quietly snuck in, trying not to wake anyone – especially Alexis. Then she froze when she saw her granddaughter eating cereal at the island. Alexis turned around and shook her head at her Grams.<p>

"My dear, what are you doing up so early?"

"Washing something for school. And waiting on Dad's and Kate's clothes to finish in the dryer."

"_Excuse me?_" Martha's eyes shot upstairs to the guestroom.

"Nope. She's not up there." Alexis nodded through Rick's office toward his bedroom.

"Oh, my. Finally."

"Maybe not. A suspect dumped them into an icy pond and they came here to warm up. They may have just taken the movie-watching in there to be warmer and fell asleep."

Martha regarded Alexis, hoping the girl was wrong, hoping Alexis's naiveté would be misplaced this time.

"So… _Grams…_ what are _you_ doing up so early?" Her smirk showed that she really wasn't_ that_ naïve any more.

* * *

><p>Kate rolled onto her back, sighed, and ran her fingernails across her scalp. She was still tired, and her muscles were sore. She smiled. She was a good kind of sore. She rolled back to him, using his bicep as a pillow. His nice, large bicep. The blanket was pulled up nearly to his neck, but she could see that he hadn't gotten up to get dressed during the night. His neck curved into his broad shoulders that had really nice muscles… she'd enjoyed watching them flex as they held his weight over her during the night. She dropped a kiss on one of them, then slid her hand onto his chest. It was still dark; she could stay like this for a while.<p>

The smile stayed on her face. She was remarkably unafraid. She accidentally fell back to sleep.

When she woke again, it was because she felt movement. She felt herself being wrapped in a warm embrace by a large, firm body. _Rick_. She wrapped her arms around him and tucked her head under his chin again. Damn, he smelled good.

He was waking up. She could hear soft sounds and sighs as he wiggled, trying to get situated enough to fall back to sleep. She kissed his neck – warm and wet and slow – and he quit squirming.

His hands stilled on her back. "_Kate._" She really was here, wasn't she? This… this was better than Christmas morning.

"Good morning, Rick," she whispered.

"Perfect morning." He slipped his hands under her shirt to caress her back and made her breath hitch with the contact. "Why aren't you naked?"

She chuckled at his disappointment. "Got some water last night."

He smiled, wise enough to not voice how happy he was that she came back to bed – _his bed - _ after she'd gotten up and gotten dressed during the night. She could have left.

"You don't have to get up yet, do you?" He knew her well enough to know she'd want to be a little early to work to do the paperwork on yesterday's arrest.

"Not yet. Just don't make me late, okay?"

His mind jumped to the other meaning of a woman being "late" and their conversation last night. His filter failed. "Okay. But just because I'm not ready to be a grandfather yet. And you said I had to marry you first." He yawned loudly, not noticing Kate's shocked expression. He wiped his eyes, watery from sleep, then kissed her head. "Let me put your clothes in the dryer. Stay right here."

He kissed her before he got up, slowly but hot enough to make her want to stay there all day. When his feet swung down to the floor, the blanket fell around his waist, revealing a nicely muscled back. He had to get up to get to his boxers and flannel pants. She'd watched him from behind so many times, she knew just how every pair of his pants hung on his rear, but none were nearly as nice as no pants at all.

"Like the view, Detective?" He didn't even turn around. He just knew she was checking him out.

"Always have." She just barely whispered it, but he still heard her.

Boxer-briefs in place, he spun around with a huge grin. "Really?"

She didn't answer, so he pounced on the bed, making her laugh loudly, then crawled back on top of her to kiss her soundly. She held him there, kissing back with just as much enthusiasm.

When they broke apart, she sighed on a smile, "Yeah. It's a really good morning."

* * *

><p>Martha and Alexis heard her laugh. They'd never heard her laugh like that before. Uninhibited. Whatever illusions they had fell away. Just from Kate's laugh, they knew the truth.<p>

* * *

><p>When he finally made it to the laundry room, he was surprised to find his and Kate's clothes dry in a basket and Alexis's clothes in the dryer. She wasn't in sight, though. He wondered what she assumed when she saw their clothes.<p>

He brought the basket with him to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before taking Kate her clothes.

"What would you like for breakfast? Eggs and bacon? Pancakes?"

"Um. Do you have a landline here? I'll need to call in that I'll be late today."

_Awesome! More sex! _His eyes lit up.

"No, Castle, that's not why. My cell was ruined in the pond. I've got to get a new one. So do you."

* * *

><p>They walked into the precinct together, coffees in hand. They'd always stood too closely and held eye contact for too long, but Ryan and Esposito could tell something was different.<p>

"So. You finally grace us with your presence. Together, I see." Ryan's head bobbed a little side to side with his implied accusation.

"Yes, together. He was already at the Verizon store when I got there, so we shared a cab here. Do you have a problem with that?" Her voice was laced with irritation, but not as much as he expected. He expected dripping with disdain.

And she wasn't lying, either. She went home to change clothes while he cleaned up the breakfast he insisted on cooking. Then they met back at the Verizon store. Their old phones weren't salvageable, but the SIM cards were, so they didn't lose their stored information.

"I still say they were scamming us. If they could dry out the SIM cards, they could dry out the phones." Castle didn't have a problem with giving money away when he chose to, but he didn't want to feel like it had been stolen from him. Beckett told him to suck it up.

Esposito looked between the partners. She was being bossy, he was being whiney, everything seemed normal enough. Hmm….

* * *

><p>They'd decided to wrap things up for the evening. They didn't have a new case, so they caught up on paperwork and pulled out a cold case. Castle helped, ordered lunch, kept her coffee fresh… and she kept smiling. And thanking him. And asking his opinion. She'd done those things before, but not consistently. And not with this frequency.<p>

Then he brushed his knuckles against hers while they stood in front of the murder board and whispered something in her ear. She smiled.

And Ryan and Esposito knew.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like playing "Mystery Science Theater 3000" with regular TV shows. Just imagine the dialogue we could put into "Eye of the Beholder"!_


	13. Chapter 13

13

"Will you go out with me tonight?" He whispered, more than a little nervous.

She smiled – he was so cute – and nodded. They didn't hold hands or anything; he'd just barely brushed his knuckles against hers. But she looked around the bullpen to see if anyone noticed. Neither one of them had done anything out of the ordinary all day to bring suspension, but she knew the boys would figure it out from the smallest details. It was what they did, and they were good at their jobs.

Rick rocked on the balls of his feet because she just agreed to a date, and Kate made eye contact with the boys. Both of them staring, with knowing looks. Well, that didn't last long.

Good. There were several times during the day when she wanted to touch Rick, and it was driving her mad to not be able to. She'd keep it professional in front of everyone else, but it would be good to not hide it from two of their best friends.

A few minutes later, Kate's phone rang. Lanie summoned her down to the morgue. She didn't say Kate only, so Castle came along.

He held the door for her; she smiled a thanks. Lanie was at her computer, looking busy.

"Hey Lanie. Whaddya got for us?" Us. Not me.

"Hang on a minute. Let me finish this up." Lanie tapped away at the keyboard and let Rick and Kate fall into a quiet private conversation. She was fake-typing, though, and eavesdropping, just to see if Javi's text was true.

"Where are we going?" Kate was turned toward him with a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"That depends on what you're in the mood for. Fancy and dressy? Calm and casual? Silly and fun?"

However, the motivation for the question revolved around the innuendo from the night before: _an elegant dress that I get to unzip, a soft sweater I can slowly pull off, or paintball gear I can help unstrap_?

Oh, they'd eventually get to all of them – all the dates he'd fantasized, but he'd get her input on what order they occurred.

It was a great question. It had Kate Beckett biting her thumb nail and looking up at him through her lashes. Did she want him in a suit, or a button down shirt and jacket – like now – could she rub her hand across his chest without Lanie noticing? - or jeans that show off his nice derriere and a long-sleeve tee shirt? It was a tough choice.

She glanced over at Lanie, who seemed engrossed in her work.

She touched the back of her hand to his, threading her fingers between his for just a second and made her choice. "Somewhere nice. Let's get dressed up." It had been a long time since she'd seen him in a tailored suit, or better yet, a tux, and this time, she wouldn't have to hide how much she liked how he looked.

"Mm. Good choice. Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Bowery or the Philharmonic at the Lincoln Center?" _How sexy will your dress be?_

He just made the choice tougher. She'd love to see TSO, and their Winter Tour was almost over. It would be a year before they were playing there again. But he could wear a tux to the Lincoln Center, and Richard Castle looked delicious in a tux.

She bit her lip and watched him get distracted by staring at her mouth. "Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Can you wear that royal blue tie?" _The one that brings out your eyes._

"As you wish."

Did she just melt a little? Because she felt like she did. Her smile lit the room.

"Okay, you two. I'm done. You can go."

"What? Why?" Beckett was incredulous. "You didn't tell us anything."

"Oh, I didn't bring you down here to tell you anything."

Castle looked dumbstruck and figured it was best to keep quiet and keep out of trouble.

"Then why'd you call me down here?" Beckett was almost angry.

Lanie pointed back and forth between Rick and Kate, answering, "So I could see _that_ for myself. 'Bout damn time, and do you need help picking out a dress for your date tonight?"

Castle twiddled his thumbs in front of him and tried to suppress his smile. Beckett mouthed _Wha? Wha? Huh? _then turned on her heel to leave, pulling Rick with her by his sleeve. Castle grinned brightly at Lanie before he was dragged out of the room.

As soon as the door shut behind them, cutting off the sound of Lanie laughing, Castle asked, "Since they know, does that mean I get to kiss you at work?"

"_No._"

"What about touching?" He looked smug and fearful at the same time.

But she knew how hard it must be for him to not touch her, knowing how difficult it had been for her all day.

"Just keep it work-appropriate, okay, Castle?"

"As you wish." He grinned.

"And stop saying that." Her voice was overly harsh from being busted by Lanie, and his face was instantly painted with dejection.

"At work, Rick. Don't say it at work." He just nodded and started walking again.

She sighed. This was why she'd held back. She didn't want to hurt him. That reason had grown stronger than her inclination to protect herself since she came back – she'd become certain he wouldn't hurt her, but she couldn't say that the reverse was true. She probably would hurt him. And she just did.

"Rick, stop." He turned around to look at her, trying to mask his emotions. "Don't say it at work… because I… I know what it means. And… I… need to focus on my job…" -she walked up close to him and smoothed his lapel- "and you turning me into a puddle with three little words is very distracting."

The twinkle returned to his eyes. He glanced around to make sure they were alone then quickly kissed her.

"At home then." He didn't care if he was being presumptuous.

She squeezed his hand and nodded in response then went back to work. And, as always, he followed, with a smug half-smile and arched eyebrow.

* * *

><p>He arranged for tickets for the TSO concert, but they weren't good seats since it was so last-minute, so he also got them backstage access. Kate would love to meet the band. He decided to take the Ferrari since there would be valet parking and Kate would love to ride in it. She'd probably insist on driving, and that was perfectly fine. The car, the thrumming music, the thrill of meeting the band – she'd be so hot they wouldn't manage to sleep at all tonight. That was the plan, anyway.<p>

The concert didn't start until 9:00. So he made dinner reservations as well. Flaunting his money wasn't his intention, and he hoped she didn't see the evening as that. But it all did take a lot of money, even getting the reservation. That was his only concern when he knocked on her door at 6:30.

And _wow! _was she stunning. She wore a royal blue dress, cut just above the knee, with a little slit on the side. It had a little sparkle to it and matched his tie. She raised an eyebrow to ask if he liked it. He stepped in and kissed her to answer.

"_We_ are going to have a _wonderful_ evening." _And hopefully, an even better late night. _He practically moaned it in her ear, and – as much as he wanted to just escort her to her bedroom and enjoy the evening there, he also wanted to give her the romance he'd been longing to show her. And it would start with a nice, fancy, no-expense-spared date. A real date with Kate Beckett. He couldn't be happier.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like almost-burnt roasted marshmallows._


	14. Chapter 14

_14_

Rick wasn't in a tux, but the finely tailored suit was just as gorgeous. He looked like he belonged on a red carpet. And the look he was giving her made her a little weak in the knees. Like he belonged on her, or in her. _Oh, stop it right now, Kate Beckett, or we'll never make it out the door._ But so what?

She'd left the precinct exactly on time so she could get ready for their date. He'd left early with a wink and a smile. As soon as he disappeared behind the elevator doors, she sagged back into her chair, expecting the boys to saunter over and the teasing to begin.

But they didn't. They just made sure they didn't bring up anything new so she wouldn't feel obligated to stay late. Any ideas they had could be saved for the next morning. She saw them jotting notes on Post-Its and knew exactly what they were doing for her. At five o'clock on the dot, she smiled a _Thanks, guys,_ and they both nodded back a _You're welcome, have fun._

It was only an hour and a half later, and the business casual was replaced by semi-formal. And oh-so-sexy. His broad shoulders and chest were accentuated by the square-shouldered coat. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "You look good." _But I wouldn't mind ripping your clothes off right now._ "Your tie matches my dress."

"That is why you asked me to wear it, right?" He placed his hand at the small of her back to lead her out the door and almost flinched when he touched bare skin. _Oh, damn, the dress is backless. How am I supposed to keep my hands off of her? _He picked up her coat and held it for her, pretending to not be as affected as he was.

* * *

><p>At the street, they reached his car and he watched the grin spread across her face. He didn't offer the keys, and she (surprisingly) didn't ask. This was a date, not police business, so he got to drive. She even let him open her car door. But her soft "mmm" when she sank into the seat, made him wish he'd called a limo instead so he could focus on her, not the road. She didn't know what to do with her hands – she normally had the steering wheel keeping them busy, so he had never known how many times over the years she had wanted to place her hand on his leg – so she reached to the touch-screen radio controls. Then she held her clutch tightly to stop herself from doing what she wanted… which would probably cause him to wreck his car.<p>

"Where are we going for dinner?" She knew it would be good.

"Colicchio & Sons. Five stars, and close to the Bowery, so we won't miss anything." _Please don't be mad that I'm going all out. You're worth it._

"Sounds delicious. I've heard great things about it." _He's so cute when he's nervous._

He smiled and nodded and was thrilled that she didn't seem uncomfortable. She wasn't just squeaking by on a meager public servant's salary – her wardrobe and nice apartment proved that; so she either got a nice life insurance settlement from her mother or had a trust fund (she did grow up with affluent parents in Manhattan, after all). But she didn't have near the resources he had, and he never wanted to make her feel like he was trying to buy her affection.

She was more used to nice things and nice places than he realized, though, and she would be comfortable no matter what they did as long as he was with her. One day, maybe soon, she'd let him in on that secret.

* * *

><p>The restaurant was nice, with brick walls and shelves of wood for the fired ovens; elegant but not pretentious. The menu had the best seafood and steaks and wine, listed not by type of food, but by which course they're served in, and no prices. The aromas were mouth-watering and the flavors divine. Rick told her about the different charities the place supports, and that's why it's one of his favorite places. Plenty of places have good food, but not many are good companies run by good people.<p>

And Kate melted just a little more.

They laughed and talked, about Alexis, about Esplanie, about their childhoods. Not about any of their shared experiences, just interesting things they'd never shared before. First date material. He reached for her hand across the table, making her blush at his touch.

When the waiter came to ask for their dessert order, Rick declined, saying they had dessert plans for later.

Kate laughed. He was so obvious.

The waiter's eyes flicked down to Kate, and he said, "Very good, sir," with the smallest of smiles.

She excused herself to powder her nose. She almost didn't recognize the woman in the mirror. She looked different. Happy. She looked happy. She reached in her clutch (past the gun, badge, zip-tie, and phone) for her lipstick, and smiled again into the mirror. A lady stepped up next to her to wash her hands and complimented Kate's dress.

"You're here with Richard Castle, right?"

"I am." The question made Kate nervous.

But the lady smiled. "I've seen him enough at social events to know his reputation." Oh, this can't be good. "But I've never seen him look at anyone the way he's been looking at you tonight."

Kate stood there, stunned. She bit her lip. "Really?"

"Really. Have a wonderful time tonight. He's a great catch. But by the way he's been looking at you, he thinks you're a great catch, too." The lady fluffed her hair and left with a smile. Kate was still stunned.

* * *

><p>The valet was pulling the car up to the door as they stepped outside – the waiter had called for the car- so they only had a moment's wait in the cold. But Rick took advantage of it and wrapped his arms around her, looked into her eyes, and asked if she was enjoying herself.<p>

"I am." _And I'm enjoying you._

"Your car, sir." The valet held out the keys for Rick and opened the door for Kate.

The valet grinned dumbly at the gorgeous brunette with the long legs climbing into the Ferrari before she thanked him and he shut her door.

"I think you've got a new fan," teased Rick, sliding his hand onto her thigh as he pulled into traffic.

She'd normally have a smart-aleck reply, but all her thoughts were stolen by his warm palm on her skin. She sucked in a breath and was glad she had time to shave.

The throaty purr of the engine was the only sound while he drove down 14th to 4th to the Bowery Ballroom. His hand slid higher, he couldn't help it, until she forced herself to stop him. It would be a bad, bad thing for her to be caught by some uniform with her dress pushed up and his pants pushed down and her riding him in the front seat of his zillion-dollar car. And if his hand went any higher, she'd have to have him, so she put her hand on his to still its ascent and looked out of her window.

But he felt her getting warmer and heard her breath become ragged and he knew how much she wanted him.

He pulled into a parking spot in a deck, and she still didn't look at him. He walked around and opened her door, offering a hand to help her out, then kissed her fully as soon as she stood. She moaned into his mouth while he pressed her against the car. He stepped between her legs to press even closer, she clenched at his back with both hands, he ran his fingers up into her hair and sucked at her bottom lip; then he _stepped back_, glassy-eyed and breathless. He let his hands fall to join with hers so that only their foreheads and hands were still touching, and whispered, "It's time for the concert to start."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like this board thread (delete the spaces):_

_http:/ /the12th. proboards. com / _index. cgi_ ?board=fanficsandfanvideos&action=display&thread=64_


	15. Chapter 15

_15_

Concert. Yeah. That's what they were supposed to be doing. Not losing all self-control in a parking deck, making out against a Ferrari.

Rick kept hold of one of Kate's hands and began walking. He hoped he was actually walking toward the exit, because his mind was still back there in that kiss. She held his hand, fingers entwined, and realized she hadn't done that since… since Will. The last really serious relationship. She never laced her fingers with Josh's, and none of the men between Will and Josh even got close enough to get the chance. She fully trusted Castle to not leave her the way Will did. He wouldn't choose his career over her. He'd always choose her.

Rick looked at her and found a wistful smile on her face.

"What are you thinking?" He was _so_ tempted to make a teasing comment about how good of a kisser he was to make her smile like that, but he could see in her eyes there was more to it. A goofball comment would make her laugh, which was good, but it would also make her not tell him what was giving her that sense of wonder.

"Just… I like this." She wasn't going to open up that easily.

He narrowed his eyes at her to let her know that he knew she was holding back.

She lifted their hands, glanced at them, and just said, "This." _Being linked. Being connected. Being held._

He squeezed her hand and nodded. "Me too."

At first, they went to the seats on their tickets. The concert was already starting when they entered, and the ballroom was packed. Flames burst, lights flashed, bass boomed, heads banged. In fact, everyone on stage was headbanging, even the violinists. And they all had hair down to their waists.

Kate leaned close to Rick, having to nearly shout to be heard over the music, to tell him, "I can't believe they're all dancing like that. My neck always hurt the next day after headbanging. And they do this every night!"

Rick looked at her and blinked. His forehead crinkled while he tried to picture Kate Beckett headbanging. "You? Seriously?"

"Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Green Day, Sublime, Metallica. The '90s had awesome music. And I had a wild phase." She shrugged like her confession was blasé.

A homeless man wandered past them, bumping into people as he pushed through the crowd. Kate wondered if she should offer to help him or if she should frisk him for lifting wallets. She had her badge and a zip-tie for cuffs. But he methodically made his way to the stage. Then onto the stage. Where he started singing. Oh. He was part of the show. The music told a story, and the homeless man sang about goodwill toward all men. Cool.

Then Rick grinned in that way that always made her nervous about whatever he had up his sleeve. He leaned in to speak, his breath warm and tickling on her ear. "We should try that, too."

And before she could respond, he took her hand and led her to the front. When they got to the curtain that barred them from going any further, he pulled something from his pocket to show the attendant. The attendant pulled the curtain aside and gestured for them to enter.

"Rick. We're backstage." _Of course we're backstage. Of course Rick would do that._

They found a good spot where Kate sat her clutch and coat at her feet. Rick stood slightly behind Kate, almost touching. Rick leaned to her, eyes on the band, lips moist on Kate's ear, "This is _so_ cool!"

They were so close they could watch the violinists' fingers fly over the finger boards, the guitarists' sweat glisten, the singers running within 10 feet of them. The bass drums vibrated their bodies differently than when the sound came through a speaker. Both moved with the music, bumping and brushing against each other, until Kate eased back, fully against Rick's body. His hands on her waist. Her bare back against his chest.

Her subdued dance was so damn sensual while he felt like the most awkward junior high white boy on the planet – how much longer was this concert?

He kept moving with her, though.

Lights shifted to icy blue for part of the story. Snow. Head banging violin solo. Kate in his hands.

Smoke and lasers. Guitar/ violin duel. Kate's neck begging to be kissed.

_Breathe, Rick. Keep moving._

She hadn't let go in so long. She was amazed by how good she felt moving against him, knowing what she was doing to him. She'd look back at him every few minutes, catching him watching the concert in awe half of the time; the other half he'd be watching her. The way the stage lights hit his eyes made them almost glow. She didn't turn around to dance with him, though. If she did that, she'd wrap her arms around him, or push her fingers through his hair, or dance so close it would almost be sex. And if she did any of those things, she wouldn't be able to stop whatever happened next. And they would be escorted out of the Bowery Ballroom. Or arrested. And she really did want to meet the band and get autographs.

A small stage in the back of the ballroom had some sort of mechanism that raised it up, but the mechanism was hidden by smoke, so it looked like it was flying with two electric guitarists on it riffing Beethoven.

"_Awesome_." Her voice was breathy. It really was awesome.

The fire bursting along the stage, the strobing lights, the penetrating music, the thunderous applause, the memories of bombs and freezers and night clubs and kisses;

he was definitely going to keep her up all night.

Finally, after three hours of intense music seducing them, the lights raised and the band left the stage.

Best. Finale. Ever.

Draping her coat over her arm and tucking her clutch under it, Kate tried to not act like a fool. Some of the orchestra members were Richard Castle fans – they read a lot on the tour bus – so they actually got to stand around and talk with them. Very cool.

Rick introduced Kate with only her name, no detail of who she was to him. But the drummer said, ""Kate Beckett, who taught me to make sense of songs'?" Yes, any musician would understand what that meant. That would stand out as something memorable among boring acknowledgements. It wasn't as much of a secret code as he'd intended.

"You must have been really bored to read the acknowledgements," Rick hedged.

"Yep. Road trips can get dull. So, aren't you also the inspiration for Nikki Heat?" He addressed Kate.

"For parts of her anyway." _I'm not slutty._

The drummer noticed Rick's hand on Kate's back. "So... are you two together?"

Rick held his tongue. Kate answered without hesitation, demure and soft. "Yes."

Rick's smile could have lit the ballroom.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like blasting TSO on high-quality surround sound. If you haven't seen them in concert, it's worth _every_ penny. _

_My favorite Trans-Siberian Orchestra Youtube videos are "_**Trans-Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour_" _**_by jrusansky_**_, "_TSO - Chloe Gets Emotional Singing "After The Fall" (4/2/11)"** _and "_**O Come All Ye Faithful / O Holy Night - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Winter 2010)".**


	16. Chapter 16

16

Kate's alarm clock beeped at 7:00am. Way too early. Especially since they didn't fall asleep until after four. She was pretty sure she would have been better off with no sleep than with less than three hours.

She nudged him with her elbow. "Wake up, Sleepyhead."

"Mmm-mm. Too early." He pulled a pillow over his face with one arm and her body to his with the other. She'd pulled on panties and a camisole to sleep, while he was still naked. Again.

"We've got to get ready for work. You've got to go home and get dressed, and I fully expect my morning coffee at a decent hour." _And if I don't make myself get up now, I could stay right here at least until noon._

He moaned dramatically. "_You've_ got to go to work, my presence is not required… and I bought you a high-quality espresso machine for a reason." His voice was muffled by the pillow.

"_I_ require your presence. And the coffee machine was for everybody."

"You really think I cared if the guys drank crappy coffee?"

"Okay. It was because _you_ didn't like our coffee." She smirked, even though he couldn't see it.

Rick turned his head, causing the pillow to fall to the floor. "You require my presence?" He squinted in the sunlight.

"You're better at working the espresso machine." Her teasing smile gave her away easily. He had no doubts about why she wanted him there. They were partners.

He yawned then slipped beneath the covers to kiss her. She had another retort ready for what she thought he'd say but fell silent as he disappeared under the blanket. She felt his hands and lips on her stomach, then her hip, then her thigh. Warm and moist. Enough to make her forget whatever they were talking about. Just warmth. His lips.

Then he resurfaced, his body on top of hers, with an arrogant smile. "Okay. I'm up."

_No shit._

"Yeah, Castle," her words were breathy and halted; "I can tell."

Kate leaned up and kissed him and instinctively pushed up her hips against him.

Rick pulled back, still wearing that smile, "Why, Katherine Beckett? You're going to make yourself late for work for a roll in the hay with some guy."

She nipped at his lip. "Shut up, Rick. You're not just some guy and you know it." _You're The Guy._

Her eyes said the last part and he saw it and he didn't care how late he made her for work.

* * *

><p>He sauntered into the precinct forty-five minutes after her. They'd had coffee at her apartment, but he still carried two fresh ones in his hands.<p>

Kate watched his approach sideways so it would look to Gates like she was looking at paperwork.

Esposito shook his head, knowing exactly what Kate was doing.

"Yo, Castle? Why do you buy coffee on the way here when you bought us that fine machine in the breakroom?"

"Because, no matter how often I replace it, there's never any of the right flavorings. I think somebody's stealing them."

Ryan butts in. "_Riiight_, Castle. Cops stealing your flavored creamers."

"It could happen. Honeymilk."

Ryan gave him a Kiss My Ass look. It had been a long time since they'd called him that nickname, but he knew it would resurface someday.

Castle continued to his chair, where Beckett appreciatively snagged her perfectly flavored coffee from his hand. They all knew that the only flavorings he cared about keeping stocked were the ones she loved.

He made the effort to force his eyes away from her and look at the murder board. "So, do we have anything new?"

* * *

><p>Another body dropped that afternoon as they waited for warrants on their current case. They'd been in the bullpen all day and it was wearing on them. Gates was on their case more because they weren't making fast enough progress.<p>

The car ride to the crime scene started out with Beckett venting about how irritating Gates always is. Most of the time. Well, sometimes. She'd at least quit calling Castle an outside consultant. She even listened to his theory, which proved to be right. But she was still a buzz kill.

Rick watched her intently while she voiced her frustrations while weaving through traffic. She glanced at him and did a double-take, seeing amusement on his features.

Her rant stopped dead in its tracks. "What?"

He answered softly, "You look good for two nights in a row of almost no sleep and lots of extra exercise." _Even if you are testy because you're tired. Still beautiful. _

He, however, had puffy smudges under his eyes growing darker by the hour.

She was opened her mouth to say something smart back, but he interrupted. "You know… I'm in the mood for pizza for dinner. Maybe lay on the couch and watch a movie." He didn't want to be clingy and make her have to push him away, so he left the comment open to interpretation.

She glanced at him again to try to read the subtext. _Does he want me there? Or, after two nights, does he already want a break? _"I assume that's supposed to be an invitation?"

"I would love the company. Your company. But if you'd rather not have to suffer my presence for three nights in a row…" He didn't look like he was teasing.

She rolled her eyes. At herself, for even entertaining the thought that he'd want a break; and at him, for thinking she suffered through his presence.

She'd made a comment over two years before, during the mummy's curse case, that karma was punishing her with his presence, but she'd said it with a teasing smile. He'd understood even then, back before Ellie Monroe, Demming, Madison, Josh, and Gina, that she enjoyed his presence. That she wanted to be with him. For him to worry that she'd run away after two fantastic nights was just stupid.

Kate reached over to rest her hand on his leg. "I could handle pizza and laying on the couch."

The smile that popped back onto his face made her laugh.

"Will Alexis be there?"

"Why? You wanna watch something dirty?" He shot her a leer just to make her laugh again.

She pulled up to the yellow crime scene tape then answered with a saucy, "Maybe," and stepped out of the car.

She strutted away while he regained his composure. Yes, he does love it when she's a little bit naughty.

* * *

><p>Castle got caught in a conversation with Ryan and Esposito, so Beckett headed straight to Lanie alone. Lanie glanced up, gave Kate a once-over, and raised an eyebrow. "Mmm. He must be <em>good.<em>"

"_Excuse me?_"

"Bags under your eyes – no sleep. Heels _much_ shorter than usual – worn out legs. He must be _damn_ good."

Kate blinked rapidly with her mouth hanging open then hissed, "_You cannot tell that by my shoes._"

Castle's voice came from behind her, "What about shoes?"

"Nothing," they answered in unison.

"What'd I miss?"

Lanie was busy smirking, so Kate shot her a glare.

"Okay. We've got a single gunshot wound, close range…" and told them about their victim.

Beckett gave the assignments for the canvass but turned back to Lanie one last time before they started questioning witnesses.

"Hey, Lanie?"

"Yeah?"

"_He is_." She bit her lip and turned around to join her team, leaving Lanie grinning and mumbling to the dead body about how she'd been telling Kate for years that he would be.

* * *

><p><em>An: Please review! They're addictive like Cheez-Its. I swear, those aren't salt crystals on those things; they're tiny crack rocks._


	17. Chapter 17

17

Finally, it was the weekend. Kate padded barefoot through her apartment to the fridge. Staring into it, but not seeing, she let out a slow exhale. She'd left Castle's loft after breakfast so that she and Lanie could go shopping.

They'd fallen asleep on the couch together early into the movie, where Alexis found them around 9:00pm and put a blanket on them. They didn't budge all night. Rick woke up first, and watched her sleeping on his arm, curled into him. He wondered if she'd done the same the previous two mornings.

His smile was more in his eyes than his lips. She looked so peaceful. He'd never thought that of her before. He hoped to make her have that look while she was awake, too, in time.

He softly began rubbing her back, touching her skin because he could, and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead.

"Good morning, father." Alexis was quietly pouring a drink in the kitchen, careful to not wake Kate.

Alarmed, he looked at Alexis, then Kate, then back at Alexis, with no idea what he should say.

"Uh, we were just watching a movie. It's … been a long week." _And my hand was NOT just under Kate's shirt tracing circles on her back. Really._

Alexis gave him that look that says she can see right through him. "I didn't say anything. Want me to start breakfast?"

"Um. Yeah?"

Alexis grinned and began pulling out bacon and eggs and English muffins.

The smell woke Kate, and after the initial shock of waking in Rick's arms with his daughter cooking them breakfast, she decided to let it be okay. She didn't have to freak out. She'd spent time and shared meals there before, after her place blew up. It was wonderful then – so great it freaked her out, because she and Jordan Shaw had just been talking about how she could be a mom and a cop, and she left as soon as humanly possible, and then proceeded to shut Rick down, because she didn't need all those fantasies about being mom to_ his_ kids, and then convinced him he'd been cursed by a Mayan mummy… just to be a little cruel. Because they were just friends. And they couldn't be more until she was sure it would work.

That worked out great, didn't it? He jumped in bed with Ellie Monroe instead of showing he was serious about her. Because he wasn't serious about her, not then. And maybe her rejection made him need validation even more. So she went after Demming, because she wasn't going there with Castle, anyway, right? He'd just proven himself to still be a playboy. Except then he took her old friend out, and she got jealous. Then he got jealous of Demming. Then he left with Gina. And came back, still with her. So she rebounded with Josh. Except, she told herself it wasn't rebound, since she never even let Rick know she was even interested. Ugh.

All because it was so very wonderful being in this home with this family. And it felt so very right. And she couldn't handle it.

She wouldn't push him away again. She wouldn't screw this up again.

"Hello? Earth to Kate?" Rick waved his hand in front of her face.

She looked up to find Alexis with a pitcher of juice; obviously she'd just asked Kate if she'd like some.

"Oh, thanks. No thanks. Coffee. I could use coffee."

Rick and Alexis exchanged a look and a smile. The coffee was already brewing. They must have already talked about it while Kate zoned out.

She smiled at them both and sat to eat. Like a real family. It still felt right. Maybe even more so now.

Then she went home, showered and was getting ready to go shopping. This foray with Lanie had been planned all week, since before she and Castle got dunked in icy water then played dress-up in his closet then spent the night together, so she was tempted to cancel to avoid the yenta that Lanie would become. But they both needed dresses. New ones. Uugh.

The buzzer sounded, and Kate winced. She was almost ready. But not ready meant Lanie would have several minutes to ask questions too inappropriate for asking out in public. Uuggh.

She opened the door with her fresh cup of coffee in her hands, letting go only long enough to turn the lock. Curling all ten fingers around the mug again, she said simply, "Hey. Almost ready," and took a long drag from her mug.

"Well, don't you look like you just woke up? Am I interrupting something? Heeeey, Castle!" She craned her neck towards Kate's bedroom.

Mortified (or at least feigning mortification), Kate stammered, "He's not here. He_ wasn't_ here. I didn't just wake up. I'm just worn out."

Lanie grinned, murmuring out of the corner of her mouth, "_Yeah, I know what wore you out, too."_

Kate rolled her eyes with an audible _Uugh._ "Just let me get my socks and boots on." She turned and stalked to her room.

"You're gonna want shoes you can try on dresses with!"

Lanie followed Kate, pausing in her bedroom doorway. "I'd go with heels if I were you, but since he's worn you out again…"

"_Shut. Up!_"

"Right. Not gonna happen. So are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"

_UUGH! _ "_Fine_."

Kate stuck to the basics, giving Lanie the barest of squeal-worthy details. She left out then entire "As you wish" exchange. That was theirs now, like Always. At least, it would be until she could loosen her tongue enough to actually say _I love you._ She'd only said it to one guy, ever. She was 17.

"So, wait, Alexis cooked you breakfast?"

"Yeah. It's not like she caught us in bed. We'd fallen asleep on the couch during a movie."

"But she cooked. For you. Because she wanted to."

"Yeah. So?"

Lanie just grinned while Kate pulled on some closed-toe heels. She sighed and rolled her eyes at her friend's giddy non-answer. "What?"

"It just sounds so Norman Rockwell. Eggs and bacon and smiles and snuggles and a happy kid. And a happy you."

Kate shot her a death glare.

"Don't look at me like that. I know you're happy. You were practically floating when you were telling me about him. About _you and him_."

Lanie was still grinning foolishly.

The corners of Kate's eyes began to crinkle with a smile, then she finally let it reach her mouth. "Yeah. I am happy."

She bit her lip to keep the wide grin that was forming from taking over her face. Why, she didn't know. She was just like that; she kept most of her emotions to herself.

She pulled on a leather jacket and a crimson scarf and locked the door behind them. They told the cabbie which formalwear boutique they'd be trying first. The policemen's ball was going to be Friday night, and Rick was supposed to be going as her partner. Only now, he would be going as her date. The thought made her tingly. _Rick in a tux. Yum._

* * *

><p>Alexis looked at her father like he was a little kid caught with chocolate all over his face.<p>

"What?"

"I figured it out when you made her laugh so loud a couple of mornings ago. So did Gram."

"You did? Because she laughed?"

"Come on, Dad. She doesn't laugh like that. She covers her mouth and hides her smiles. She chokes down the sound when she laughs. I haven't been around her a whole lot, but it has been enough to know that much. And there was only one reason she'd feel safe enough to open up like that."

"Because we-"

"_Stop! _I don't need to hear what you did. Because you're together."

Rick looked around, then back at his daughter. He was proud and embarrassed at the same time. "That's what I was going to say."

Alexis rolled her eyes like she didn't believe him.

She walked over and gave him a big hug. "I'm glad you're happy, Dad."

She headed up the stairs.

"Alexis?"

She turned, halfway up, eyebrows raised.

"Thanks for breakfast. It meant a lot."

She beamed and headed up to her room.

* * *

><p><em>An: Please review! They're addictive like Lindor truffles. Mmm. Yeah._


	18. Chapter 18

18

Work, work, work. Rick stayed home from the precinct on Monday for two reasons. One: After the past five days, he was plenty inspired and had tons of ideas to write out. Two: After the past five days, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay professional, not even to his low standard of acceptable workplace behavior.

If he didn't make himself stay home and write, he would have to spirit her away from her desk for, say, a "sparring" session in the gym or something.

He wrote two full chapters complete with editing and had a few pages of random paragraphs still in rough draft form to use sometime later. And this was after getting the same amount written on Saturday while Kate was shopping with Lanie. Gina would be thrilled.

Lanie insisted on Kate being her wingman at a club Saturday night after the gowns were finally purchased, much to Castle's disappointment. And Kate's, too, but she wasn't going to pout in front of Lanie. That would simply not be the way she operates. Although, she did truly wonder if Lanie's insistence was to see what Kate's reaction would be – would she act whipped and admit she'd rather be with Castle? So what if she was whipped; she wasn't going to act like it.

Then, Sunday, Kate joined Rick, Alexis, and Martha for brunch at a quaint bistro near Kate's apartment. Alexis and Martha left in a cab, while Rick and Kate walked hand-in-hand back to her place. They stayed there all afternoon, all night. She didn't want to leave Monday morning, but they got dressed, he brewed coffee then kissed her until he felt her knees go a little weak, and they walked together to hail cabs.

He kissed her again once she got in a cab before he shut her door. A kiss that made her sink into the seat and smile the whole ride in to work.

Work, work, work. She didn't want to be there. There was something wrong with the heater so the homicide floor was freezing, and all she could think of was wanting to be in Rick's arms in front of his fireplace. She glanced at her phone, wondering if she'd interrupt his writing mojo if she called. How long had she gone without hearing his voice? That voice that had moaned her name so many times in the past six days? She checked her watch. It had been three hours. Uugh, she was pathetic. Whipped, and she knew it.

Esposito interrupted her self-recrimination, "Got a body. You callin' Castle?"

"Depends. Is it an interesting one? He's writing today."

"Uniform says it looks like a pop n' drop."

"I'll text him."

Esposito smirked. _She normally doesn't want to call him in for boring ones. She must really want him around._

Beckett caught the accusation in his look and rolled her eyes. "You know what a drama queen he is. He whines when we leave him out." It was true, but that didn't make Espo any less right.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and punched in _Pop n drop. Want in?_

She was already getting in her car by the time he finally responded. _My crime scene sounds more fun. Nikki just punched a guy. Are you going there without lunch?_

She smiled. _I'll grab something on the way. Dinner tonight?_

He responded quickly to that. _Only if I can have you for dessert._

A horn blared behind her, reminding her she'd been stopped at a traffic light (now green). She pushed away the mental images to try to focus on driving and not on the warmth spreading in her when her phone chimed again: _Or can I come early and spoil my dinner?_

Kate nearly ran into a hot dog vendor.

At the next red light, she dialed his number. He answered on the first ring. "Miss me already?"

_Yes._ "Just curious about dinner. Wanna go out or stay in?"

"Eat out? Sounds good. Or… in, out, in, out." She could hear the humor in his innuendo.

"Oh, Master of the Double Entendre, what have you been writing that has made you talk like this?"

"Just being inspired by thoughts of you." He was grinning like a madman.

"Well, if anything from this week shows up in your manuscript, I'll become far less inspiring." _For maybe a day, before I cave._

"Gotcha. I was trying to use the tiger, but as a plot device, it's so unbelievable. If it hadn't happened to us for real, I totally wouldn't have bought it as a believable case. So I used the creepy redneck family. But I didn't make them Texans, since Nikki & Rook have already had a Texan bad guy. Besides, creepy rednecks can be found everywhere."

"So who did Nikki punch?"

"Uh, well, she got a little territorial. So what do you want for dinner?"

_You._ "Chili dogs and onion rings. There's a Yankees game tonight."

"I didn't think the season had started yet. It's cold."

"Come on, Castle. It's pre-season. Dress warmly. Gotta go – dead body awaits."

"See you tonight, Kate."

She totally ignored Ryan and Esposito's knowing looks when she didn't wipe away her smile fast enough upon arriving at the crime scene.

* * *

><p>They missed the first inning because Kate didn't want to abandon her team simply because it was quitting time. She had to stay a respectable amount of time trying to piece together the puzzle so they wouldn't see how badly she <em>didn't<em> want to be there.

She picked him up from the loft, and he was _adorable._ He'd bought a Yankees sweatshirt and headband thing that covers the ears, whatever they're called, and wore a navy Yankees cap. That, along with his dark designer jeans that have always been her favorite, made her grin when he opened the door. He shrugged, obviously hoping for her approval. "Too much?"

"No. Perfect. You'll fit right in." She slipped her arms around him and pulled her body to his. "Mmm. You're warm."

"We could always stay in."

"Nope. I'm taking you to a ballgame, and we're going to have a good time."

"As you wish."

She was turning to the door, but his last statement stopped her. She turned back to him, loving the twinkle in his eye, loving everything about him. She smiled sweetly, then raised an eyebrow. "We're sitting in the cheap seats, not in a box with the owners."

He looked confused. She leaned closer to his ear. "Because it's going to be cold, and I want you to keep me warm."

* * *

><p>The wind whipped up at the bottom of the fifth. They'd laughed and cheered and yelled and snuggled close to stay warm. They kissed several times, but not enough to irritate the people around them. Besides, there weren't that many people out for a nighttime, cold, pre-season game. The wind turned Kate's cheeks bright pink.<p>

Her arms were wrapped around his torso inside his jacket to share body heat (they both smirked at the excuse). His nose was getting cold. He'd had enough of the "ball game experience" and just wanted her. "Let's go home and get warm." His voice was low in her ear.

"As you wish." Her eyes held his and she bit her lip and she took a deep breath and _I love you_ was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite say it. So she kissed him and hoped he knew.

And Oh, god, he was positive he could make love to her right here in a stadium seat if she wanted.

* * *

><p>Not sure if they were alone or not, they didn't attack each other when they entered the loft. "Fireplace and wine?" he offered. <em>Please say no. Please say bed.<em>

Her eyes surveyed the loft. It seemed empty enough. Her eyes went first to the fireplace, then to his bedroom door. "Mm. No."

She walked, no, glided, through the study to the door.

He followed, already turned on, ready to warm her up, when he realized she wasn't headed for the bed, either.

She sauntered straight to his Jacuzzi and turned on the hot water. "This will be faster."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like {censored}._


	19. Chapter 19

19

He kicked the bedroom door shut, his mind screamed at him to get rid of all those layers of fabric between them as quickly as possible, but Kate Beckett was very slowly removing a glove, one finger at a time.

Her hair was wild from being windswept. Her eyes danced as she watched him squirm in impatience.

She pulled the second glove off as slowly as the first. She popped one button, then the next.

"What's the matter, Castle?"

He was gaping, trying to breathe. _This_ look, the smart-ass seductress look he got to see tiny glimpses of over the years, showed up in his fantasies often. But the real thing – not just a glimpse - was better. She was about to join him in his Jacuzzi. Another fantasy. After going to a Yankees game… he wondered if they were playing out one of her fantasies – did she fantasize about him?

He found his composure and leaned against the bathroom door jamb. "Nothing. Everything's just fine." _Yeah, fine, that's it._

She crossed the marble floor to invade his personal space (not like he minded), reached over his shoulder, and dropped her leather gloves behind him. Her leather jacket followed, then the blouse. She worked the buttons to it oh so slowly, and she let her fingernails trail across the back of Rick's neck after her shirt fell to the hardwood floor behind him. He leaned in ever so slightly for a tease of a kiss.

She slid her jeans button loose and tugged so that the zipper slid down on its own.

He was quite sure that he could die a happy man now. He was having chest pains that forced him to remember to breathe. By the time she stood before him in her sexy as hell underwear, he was convinced she'd planned this. She had to have conjured this up during one her dates with a bubble bath and his book. Then she was completely naked, the room was filling with steam, and he was still standing in the doorway in a Yankees sweatshirt, because something in her eyes told him to stand still and watch. He watched like his life depended on it. She turned and strolled to the Jacuzzi, tested the water with her toe, stepped in with practiced grace, and sank in to her shoulders.

"Aahhh. Perfect." Barely more than a whisper. Then, only slightly louder, "You comin' Castle?"

_Just about._

* * *

><p>He lay looking at his ceiling. His fingers and toes looked like prunes but he didn't care. Hers did too. They wore the same plush robes they'd worn after warming up in separate showers not even a week before. She used his forearm as a pillow as she watched the sky she imagined past his ceiling.<p>

He sighed contentedly. "That was… amazing."

Kate shined with pride. "And you can't even pretend you're talking about me hitting a guard this time."

_I knew she didn't buy that. That undercover kiss _was _amazing. _"Oh, really? Because I was talking about how good the Jacuzzi felt. Spending all day today and Saturday writing made my back and neck sore."

She slapped him across his chest. "Admit it. Jacuzzi sex is amazing." Kate leaned up with a teasing look that bordered on threatening... or would have if she could have erased her smile.

"Okay, okay. Those bubbles really do add something amazing to the sex." He was trying so hard to not laugh.

She was about throw her own verbal jab when he cut her off, continuing, "You see, the bubbles, they make white noise. I couldn't hear the city. No distractions. Just you. And you were so hot, it seemed like you were making the water boil." His playfulness had been replaced by tenderness and, apparently, cheesiness. He caressed her face and pushed a wet lock of hair off her shoulder. "You, Kate. You are amazing. … You are…"

He trailed off. He didn't think she was ready to hear that he knew she was "it" for him.

But his eyes said it. She couldn't look away from those eyes for anything.

Her instinctive "run away" voice had apparently been rendered mute. Actually, it pretty much shut up when Castle proved that he would wait for her, and she had found the freedom to flirt with him and show her feelings at her pace. But since she started seriously considering telling him everything, it was piping up again. But not tonight.

She hadn't exactly planned how tonight would go (although she had a pretty good idea… she dreamed something similar when he introduced her to Joe Torre… that was a really good dream), but she was laying herself bare. The striptease wasn't about turning him on – not entirely – but about revealing herself fully to him. No masks. Nothing hidden. Scars, hurts, hope, love; all of it revealed.

She halfway smiled at the way he couldn't say aloud what he so clearly showed to her every single day.

She ran her fingers down his arm and squeezed his hand. She swallowed hard and held his gaze.

"Rick. I love you too." She bit her lip. _I remember and I love you and please don't be mad that I couldn't admit it until now._

He closed his eyes and sank his head into his pillow. His breathing came in deep huffs. But he squeezed her hand tighter.

_Please don't be mad. _He was still, and she didn't know what to make of it. If only he'd open his eyes, she'd be able to see how he was taking it.

He finally shifted and pulled her into a tight embrace. _What am I supposed to say now? Ask why she lied? I knew it was possible, even probable. I know her reasons. Maybe later. Should I say it back? Make a smart-ass comment? Suggest running away and getting hitched?_ _Did she really just say that?_

He whispered, "Say it again."

Her heart soared. _As you wish._ "I love you, Rick."

"And you remember?"

"I remember." _Is he not mad?_

He held her so tight to him that she couldn't see his face. She held him just as tightly, afraid to let go. "I remember, and I'm sorry. So truly sorry." Her voice cracked with guilt.

He stroked her back. "Shhh."

He felt like the world was spinning out of control; this had to be a dream, right? She had him watch her slowly undress, did wonderful things to him, then said she loves him. Out loud, not in code.

"I get it, Kate…. So… I'm allowed to finally say it again without you running?" His voice was soft.

She chuckled in relief. Her voice was just as soft as his. "Yes. I would love to hear it again."

He relaxed his hold on her body to look in her eyes.

"_Good_. I love you, Kate. I love you."

* * *

><p>"My, my, my aren't you just glowing?" Lanie called Beckett down first thing in the morning, supposedly to give her some info on her vic, but really to check out her girl.<p>

Kate gave a shy tight-lipped smile and couldn't quite make eye contact.

"Ooh. This must be good!"

Kate twiddled her fingers, still unsure what to reveal to her friend.

She smiled just a little bigger and raised her eyebrows in quick confirmation.

Perlmutter walked by like they were invisible. Lanie begged, "Ignore him. What happened?" She looked down at Kate's left hand for a ring. Castle could be impetuous, after all.

Kate caught the look and rolled her eyes. The eye roll was purely for Lanie's benefit. She couldn't have anyone knowing that she was hoping Castle would become impetuous in that regard very soon.

She knew he wouldn't, though. He wouldn't expect her to be ready for that. And she's not. Absolutely not. Right?

It didn't help that all the formalwear stores they'd shopped at Saturday had bridal departments, so she and Lanie had ended up talking about their preferences in wedding gowns.

It didn't help that Little Castle cooked her breakfast like she was family already.

It didn't help that she felt like she should be doodling hearts on her Trapper Keeper folder instead of hunting down killers.

It didn't help that they'd both said the L word, kissed like crazy, then whispered it again before they fell asleep in each other's arms. Then said it again when she was leaving the loft this morning.

It didn't help that even before she said it, she knew it was the last step in completely giving herself to him.

That was why none of it helped. It was a done deal. She was his.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like shameless Caskett fluff._


	20. Chapter 20

20

She believed it was unfair. The city of New York surely had a number of attractive men either in uniform or in administration, but it was truly unfair how badly they would be outdone this night by one. They would all be in their best suits or tuxedos. Some would even have fancy namebrand tuxes. But how many would be in a custom made Armani? And, to make it truly unfair, how many looked just as sexy first thing in the morning with bedhead?

Yeah, Rick would be a shining star tonight, and the cameras would eat it up.

Lanie shook her head, knowing it was probably wrong to be musing these things about her best friend's man, but she'd said similar things out loud so many times while trying to talk Kate into giving in, that it was no secret that she found Richard Castle to be a fine looking specimen of a man. Not that Javi wouldn't look scrumptious in his suit – he definitely would – but Castle knew how to work it without looking like he was trying to work it.

She tried to focus on the task at hand – which felt ridiculously juvenile. She and Kate were getting ready together. Hair, nails, make up, the whole shebang. They were both finally with the men they loved. They were both pretending not to be giddy (but failing). They both wore cheesy smiles because of the current conversation: what said men would be wearing. Gyah, they were acting like freshmen who got invited to the prom.

Kate knew she should be alarmed because of this stupid giddiness. She and Castle hadn't let it slip – Gates was none the wiser – but she was quite sure that anyone with eyes would be able to see that they were a "them" at the Policemen's Ball. They wouldn't make out in the middle of the dance floor (she hoped) but if the _idea_ of Rick in his tux, maybe with a white silk scarf hanging loosely, put a smile like this on her face, there would be no hiding it. But, then again, she couldn't really bring herself to care.

If Gates had a problem with it, Kate would simply point out that their relationship hadn't caused any problems with cases, and in fact had gone unnoticed by the department, because they were being appropriate at work.

Lanie snorted and began laughing uncontrollably. "Honey, you really think gazing into each other's eyes like lovestruck puppies is appropriate? (hahahaha!) And that how close you sit… (hahahahaha!) or that you touch each other… (hahaha!) has gone unnoticed? Oh, gosh, stop, you're making my mascara run!" She blew out a few breaths to try and quell the laughter. "Oh my, oh my. Money has already changed hands and bets have been paid up. You really thought no one could tell?"

Oh no. Kate's smile dropped while Lanie laughed at her. Were they really that bad?

"Are we really that different than we were before?"

"No. But the people who know you? We can see it. Don't worry, hun, you haven't gotten mushy in front of a suspect or victim's family; not that I've heard anyway. (hahahaha!)"

"So, people can tell, but Gates hasn't said anything?" Alarms began sounding in her head. "Something's not right."

"Honey, you said she's been warming up to you. Maybe she's been warming up to Castle, too. Maybe she's not looking for a lame excuse to boot him."

"I'd just better not give her a good excuse. She'll still do it if she has a good reason."

"Ya got that right."

"You and Javi dancing in the conest?"

Lanie grinned. "We will be _winning_ that dance contest. What about you guys? You gonna try for second?"

"Don't know yet. We'll see."

Lanie checked the clock on the wall. She messed with one last curl on Kate's head then pronounced it done. "Now get. You gotta go home and get into your dress so you can make that man's jaw fall to the floor."

"Ha. You say that like Javi won't be stunned speechless when he sees your own."

They both grinned like fools. Giddy, giddy fools.

* * *

><p>"Baby, it's Javier on the phone for you!" Jenny called out to her husband who was pulling on his suspenders. Suspenders. She liked them, so that was his excuse. He wouldn't have to admit to the guys that he loved suspenders even more than sweater vests. And he really did like his sweater vests.<p>

Ryan took the phone with a quick kiss on his wife's lips. "Wassup?"

Esposito answered in his highest, most womanly voice, "Baby, come to the phone. It's Javier. He sounds so hot I just wanna-"

"Cut it out. Did you need something, or were you just calling to harass me?"

Javi heard Jenny answer in the background, "He _missed _you. You two have been apart for a whole _two hours_, and he's going through withdrawals."

"Seriously? You're both mocking me? My wife and my work-wife mocking me? Actually, I think she was mocking you, Espo."

"Mocking you both, dear." Jenny laughed and headed to the mirror to do her hair.

Esposito was still laughing on the line. "Actually, I was calling to ask your opinion. Lanie said she's wearing emerald green. So am I supposed to match her? Should I wear the tie with the dark green and navy checks, or the one with the green, burgundy, and navy stripes? Or the black silk one?"

Ryan blinked. "Seriously? You mock me because my wife called me 'baby,' while the purpose of _your_ call is because you need help getting dressed?"

"Just which tie, bro?" Javi sounded a lot less amused since Kevin put it like that.

"I don't know. Ask Jenny. Sweetheart? Javi needs your help picking out his clothes!"

Esposito could hear both Ryans laughing as the phone changed hands.

* * *

><p>Alexis straightened her dad's bow tie and stepped back. She smiled a proud, almost maternal, smile of approval. "You look good, Dad."<p>

"I just hope I do her justice. It's been a long time since I've felt like the arm candy."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Really, honey. Lanie's dropped so many hints about Kate's dress, if she's not as dazzling as the sun, I think I'll be disappointed."

She stuck her finger in her mouth pretending to make herself throw up. "You're good enough for arm candy." She rolled her eyes again.

"Heeey!"

His daughter shrugged, smirked, and walked away. She finished primping in the mirror, ready for her date to arrive any minute. Rick had called the car service for her and her new not-quite-boyfriend, mostly because he hadn't decided if he trusted the 19-year old boy and wanted someone on his payroll nearby at all times. Alexis was fine with that – she was just thankful that he hadn't insisted on riding together like it was a double date. That would have been gross to see him and Kate getting touchy-feely and undressing each other with their eyes.

Her cyan dress brought out her eyes and complimented her hair and skin tone. She couldn't stop smiling, getting ready for a real ball, not a school dance. Oh, his little girl was all grown up.

Rick checked his hair one last time then turned and took both of Alexis's hands in his. "You look absolutely beautiful. You'll save a slot on your dance card for me, right?"

"Dance card?" Huh?

"Sorry, old expression. You see, the boys actually used to have to sign a little list on a card that the girls carried to get a chance to dance with them."

"Was this like the middle ages?"

"Practically. Back when Mother was young."

"HEY! I heard that!" Both Castles laughed at Martha's reaction. She was decked out in as many sparkles and jewels and her frame could carry and held another necklace in her hand. She strutted up behind her granddaughter to put the teardrop shaped topaz that dangled from a delicate platinum chain around Alexis's neck.

The young lady's eyes widened when she realized what Martha was doing. "It's gorgeous, Gram!"

Their doorbell rang, and both redheads looked at the door then hurried out of sight. Rick smiled and shook his head. He went to see which lady would be making their entrance first.

"Mother! Your suitor awaits!"

She floated in to greet her date – glad that he cleaned up nicely and they would make a handsome couple.

Then a shy but handsome young man knocked on the open door.

Rick welcomed him with a huge smile and whispered, "Don't forget, most of the people at this ball will be armed, and they are all friends with _me." _He made sure the boy understood the threat before he turned and called,_ "_Alexis, sweetie! Your date is here, too!"

* * *

><p>It was so easy, watching the ladies in his family walk off happily with the men they'd invited to the ball. He knew how much they put into looking good and saw how nervous they were to see that their dates liked how they looked. He felt almost the same. But he'd always known that dances were for the women – looking good for themselves and their date, measuring themselves against the other women, making sure none of the others caught the attention of their date, and to try to catch the eye of all the other women's dates. The pettiness of it was why he often avoided galas and balls unless he needed some publicity.<p>

But this was a fundraiser for the policemen's fund that provided for injured and fallen officers' families. It was a social event that was important to him.

He stood outside Kate's door, hoping every man in the room noticed her. Noticed her _with him_. He was actually nervous. This part was not easy. He rapped on her door the same way he always did and held his breath.

Kate opened the door. She and Lanie were only wrong about one thing: his loose white scarf was cashmere, not silk. She smiled easily. "You look good, Rick." _Really, really, really good._

He managed to not gape. He'd seen her before in a beautiful formal gown. And in a hot club dress. And, most recently, in nothing at all. But, damn, did she look good. She seemed to be searching his face – the same look Alexis wore when she came out to meet her date – pride mixed with a touch of insecurity.

"I'm not disappointed," he finally managed to say.

A little quirk of one of her eyebrows showed that wasn't the response she was looking for.

He grinned. "I told Alexis that if you weren't as radiant as the sun, I'd be disappointed. I'm not."

Yeah, _that _grin. That was the one he wanted on her face.

Her bare shoulders and chest were beautiful. She was flawless, even though he knew that the fabric only just barely hid the scar from the bullet. If the neckline plunged any deeper, it would show. _Even if it showed, she would still look flawless. She's stunning._

Then she turned around to get her clutch and wrap (that she intentionally left behind her).

Yeah,_ that_ gasp. That was the one she wanted to hear from him.

He held in that big draw of air for several seconds before slowly letting it out.

Her long-sleeved floor-length sapphire dress, fitted to her form, beaded down the middle of the front and all over the skirt, was backless. The curved V of the opening showed the angles of her shoulder blades all the way down to the two dimples at the very bottom of her back. How was he supposed to slow dance with her with his hand on her bare skin? How were they supposed to not be incredibly obvious about the status of their relationship with her looking like a Greek goddess that was going to have her way with him any time she wanted?

Her delighted grin when she turned around to see his surprise and arousal told him that _that_ was _exactly _the response she wanted from him.

He held out his arm for her. "Shall we?"

She bit her lip. She loved when he was genteel. "We shall."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like homemade Samoas. I know I've used that one before, but they're just so good! Send me a PM, I'll send you a recipe. But review first!_


	21. Chapter 21

21

Arm in arm, they walked to the car. She was slow and careful when she sat, still not completely comfortable in the revealing dress. He was still shocked that she was wearing it. The driver held the door open for them both. Finally, when the car pulled away, Rick had to ask: "So is that dress solely for my benefit, or for everyone who's watching us?"

Kate smiled. She leaned against him and murmured into his ear, "Both."

He swallowed.

"You look good, Rick."

He smiled sweetly. "You already said that."

"It's worth repeating." She couldn't stop the urge and kissed him. Slow and soft and warm.

He barely moved, knowing he couldn't get into the kiss then have to get out of the car and act normal. "I thought kissing before the dance was against the rules. Hair and make up and everything. Don't want to mess it up."

She smiled. He'd been well trained by women who cared far too much about appearances. "Smudgeproof lipstick. Keep your hands out of my hair, and we're good." Her hand slid up his thigh as she kissed him again, still slowly and softly. He had his hand on her hip but didn't dare move it.

She could sense his hesitance and stilled her smiling lips. She understood why he was holding back and decided to let him know how much he was affecting her. "Sorry. You're just kind of irresistible in that tux."

He tilted his chin toward her to kiss her back, not much more than a peck. It was feeling really hot in the town car all the sudden. He quietly teased, "So, you're saying I should have started wearing tuxedos around you like three years ago? Dang, that would have been so much easier."

She laughed and settled back into her seat.

He looked at her in that way that has always made her lose track of what was going on around them and reminded her, "I love you."

Not like she could forget.

She caressed his cheek and responded, "And I love you. But I'm still going to beat you at the poker table."

"Ohoho! You think so?"

"I do. The fund will make a pretty penny off of your_ losing_ tonight." Her taunting was designed to distract them from how much they both obviously wanted to tell the driver to take them back home.

He raised his eyebrows and challenged, "The fund just might. But do you care to make a more _personal_ wager on that?" His seductive voice wasn't helping to distract them.

Fine. She could play, too. "Oh, _Ricky_, you really think you need a _bet_ to get me to do something… kinky… for you?"

Gob-smacked. What a lovely British word; it perfectly described his flustered, shocked, completely turned-on look.

The car pulled to the curb in front of The Grand Hotel, and the attendant almost immediately opened the door and held out a hand to assist Kate. The young man's eyes widened when he got an eyeful of what she was wearing and almost forgot to keep the door open for her date to get out. "Evening, ma'am," he stuttered. Oh, there's a man, too. "Enjoy your evening, sir." He watched the gorgeous pair enter the hotel, pausing for a picture just inside the doors. He didn't know who they were, but he was sure they'd make it onto the Society Page the next day.

Rick placed his hand on the small of her back as he'd gotten used to doing, but immediately jerked it away. Was he allowed to touch her skin in front of everyone?

There were society types who made the rounds, officials from City Hall, and most of the police force. There were a few photographers invited – publicity meant ticket sales, and that meant more money for the fund. But this ball wasn't as popular amongst the high society since it funded the boys in blue instead of the arts or some political cause. So a higher percentage of the attendees were connected to the Job than to Society.

So Rick didn't know where the line was. He thought he knew… then he saw that dress. Now he was clueless.

And she was enjoying his confusion. That tease.

Kate hooked her arm through his as they made their entrance. Quite a few people noticed. More than a few women distracted their husbands and boyfriends so that their men wouldn't notice. Rick heard the rapid clicking of a professional camera behind them. Surely she heard it, too. But the woman on his arm, his woman, his Kate, didn't seem to mind. She smiled and he grinned and they walked into the crowd.

"My parents went to galas sometimes. The Policemen's Ball was always my mom's favorites. Mardi Gras was my dad's favorite."

"You know, I sometimes forget that you were raised in this world. So few people on the circuit are real, but your family – wait? Mardi Gras? Can we go to a Mardi Gras party? With masks and everything?"

Kate laughed. "Sure, Castle. You just love dressing up, don't you?"

"I thought we already established that back in my closet that first night." His eyes were dancing with excitement, and his grin was huge.

* * *

><p>"Look at how happy they look." Jenny beamed when she caught sight of their friends.<p>

Kevin looked over and could see them both lost in their conversation. Then they turned to walk the opposite direction. "Wow." Beckett's dress. Hot.

Jenny gave him a look.

He kept staring, accidentally, but his mind was able to recover an appropriate response for his wife's sake. "I didn't realize how skinny she still is. You can see her ribs poking out. I hope she's okay."

Then he turned to Jenny and looked at her adoringly. "You, however, are perfect. Absolutely perfect." And he meant it.

"Let's dance." She pulled him out to the dance floor where the band was covering "Wonderful Tonight."

* * *

><p>They found the mayor and his wife on the way to the casino room that opened to the ballroom. The ladies met and gushed over each other's dresses, while the men intentionally did <em>not <em>mention the dresses at all. "Hey, your date looks really hot," really wouldn't be appropriate, so they stuck to talking about how they needed to get another poker night together and crowing about how they'd beat the other tonight in the charity casino. They finally decided that the loser would provide the scotch for the next poker night.

"Hey, there's Lanie and Esposito." Kate nodded toward them as the mayor and his wife headed to the craps table.

Lanie's emerald green dress was studded in beads and sequins and showed off all her curves. Javier looked like he believed himself to be the luckiest guy in the room. His classic black tux was simple. He wore the bow tie that he hated, but Jenny told him to wear it.

Castle bumped his shoulder. "Hey, Javi, you clean up nice. Lanie, beautiful as always." He kissed Lanie's hand, always the charmer. She loved it.

"Back off, bro. You got your own – whoa." They all laughed when he noticed Beckett. Lanie expected him to react, so she didn't get mad. Kate looked damn good, but Lanie knew Javi preferred her curves.

"Where do you have your gun and badge?" Espo was sure she wouldn't be without them, but there was no place to hide them in that dress.

"Who says I need a gun? I could kick your tail, even in this dress. And the badge is in here." She held up her clutch.

They played a few hands of blackjack until they heard that the dance contest was about to start.

Javier puffed up and took Lanie's hand. "Prepare to lose, all of you." They strutted onto the dance floor like they really knew what they were doing.

"Can Espo really dance?" Rick asked, somewhat surprised.

"They've been taking lessons." Kate smiled like she knew a secret.

"Oh… did they get engaged and nobody told me?"

"Nope. But I suspect that it's not far off."

"Huh." Rick grinned with her. "Would you like to dance?"

The emcee announced what the three dances would be, and they were three that Kate was pretty sure she could handle.

"Um, sure. I'm rusty, though."

"Well, if you can make yourself follow my lead, we'll be fine. At least, we won't be embarrassed."

Not leading had always been the hardest part of dancing for her. But she would try. She had a feeling it might be easier to follow with Castle.

She offered her hand, and they walked onto the dance floor. Anyone who hadn't spotted them by then certainly did now.

One gentleman in particular noticed Kate's revealing dress, but noticed even more that his wife's eyes seemed to pop out of her head. He wondered why. "Who is that?"

"That's my best detective."

"And you're surprised by his girlfriend's dress?" _The man looks handsome enough to get a girl like that._

"_She's_ my best detective. That's Beckett and Castle."

"Oh. Ohhh. Wow." He smothered a laugh and looked at his wife while she gawked at the pair on the dance floor. How did she miss that they were together? They are so clearly together. "I take it they're a couple?"

"Apparently. Huh."

He chuckled and took her hand. "Well, Victoria, would you like to dance, or stare at them?"

Oh yeah, they had been walking out onto the dance floor.

There were around forty couples dancing. The waltz was pretty easy, so even novices could manage it. Castle caught sight of his daughter and her beau and watched to make sure the boy kept his hand in the proper place high on her back. Rick also knew his mother wouldn't be dancing – she was too busy being the center of attention in the casino. But Bob and his wife were dancing, as well as Gates and her husband. They whirled around, cameras flashed from the edge of the dance floor, and he tried to not focus on Kate's warm skin under his palm.

As the dance ended, he smirked, "You actually let me lead."

"Don't sound so surprised, Castle. I've been making the effort for a while now."

"True enough." The 4/4 rhythm began. "Foxtrot?"

She smiled, her lips tight. They wouldn't be winning the contest, but she did want to dance. The foxtrot was similar enough to the waltz to be manageable, but different enough to be a little confusing. About a third of the couples left the dance floor before the song began. Kate and Rick danced, enjoyed themselves, and did well enough to not be embarrassed. Somewhere during the foxtrot, while she laughed at him trying to be suave and not step on her toes, they forgot they had an audience. They were free with their smiles, and he stopped focusing on how her skin flushed under his touch. He focused on how much her eyes lit up when she laughed.

Then came the tango. The same 4/4 beat, but such a wonderfully unique dance.

Kate had always loved the tango. Her parents would do it, and she made her daddy teach her when she was ten. She hoped to grow up and have a man look at her the way her dad looked at her mom while they danced.

Castle decided he had to learn the tango when he saw James Bond do it. Because it was just awesome.

Over half of the remaining couples left the dance floor before the third dance started. Javi looked at Rick and mouthed, "You're going down, man."

Rick just smiled. He didn't care about winning the contest. He was content to dance with Kate and have her smiling in his arms.

Perhaps it was poor judgment to dance such a sexy dance in such a public venue. But, if they were making their relationship known, it was a hell of a way to make a splash. The way they were completely lost in each other's embrace, the way that they couldn't stop smiling even when they tried, the way they laughed together at a misstep, the way his hand slid low on her back a few times without either of them seeming to notice; it told everyone that Rick and Kate had finally jumped in together.

"They're pretty good."

"Yeah. But Javi and Lanie are better."

"They look really happy."

"Yeah, they do."

The Ryans, the Gates's, and Alexis and her date all had nearly identical conversations at pretty much the same time.

The music ended, and Kate wanted to kiss him, but they had the attention of the room – well, they and the nine or so other couples. He gave a small bow and she a small curtsy to be proper, then they grinned and clapped along with everyone else.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This was getting too long, so I decided to cut the ball in half. More tomorrow!_

_Please review! They're addictive like ballroom dancing. It really is incredibly fun, even for the rythmically challenged like me. But I swear the hardest part is letting the guy lead!_


	22. Chapter 22

22

Esplanie did win the dance contest. Javi preened like a peacock while Lanie accepted the bouquet of roses as their prize. The boys offered congratulations and the women tried to get Lanie to admit the reason why they were taking dancing lessons in the first place.

Ryan stood behind Jenny with his arms wrapped around her, Espo snaked one arm around Lanie's waist as they all talked, and Castle softly rubbed his fingertips up and down Kate's back as she leaned into his side.

Then Captain Gates came up. They really, really hoped she wasn't going to take issue with the now-obvious new relationship.

"Detective Esposito, Dr. Parrish, that was some wonderful dancing. Very well done." She smiled and introduced her husband. The team did their best to act like they weren't shocked beyond reason that she was being friendly.

"And, Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett," _Oh, here it comes. _"You two are pretty decent dancers yourselves."

_What? That's it?_

Castle grinned, arrogant and charming at the same time.

Gates looked at the two couples that she didn't know about before the ball. She pursed her lips then decided how to handle it. She pointed at the four of them. "And keep this out of the bullpen."

She hooked arms with her husband and left the three couples standing in shock.

"Well. That went well." Kate was floored. She expected threats.

Ryan smirked. "I bet she just didn't want to make a scene in front of her superiors."

Espo shrugged it off and spun Lanie back into his arms. They were all still in the middle of the dance floor, and the band was playing Van Morrison's version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"

"Well, if you guys don't mind – and even if you do – we are going to keep dancing."

Lanie giggled and allowed him to sweep her into the slow dance.

Ryan grinned then asked his wife to dance.

"So…" Castle looked at Kate. All the things he'd kept hidden were finally showing on his face. "Dance, or drink?"

She looked around. Most people were beginning to show the effects of the open bar.

"Dance." _I don't want to find out how much we'd let go if we were drinking._

She placed her hand in his and the other on his shoulder, knowing full well that they wouldn't be in this formal position for long. It didn't even take a full minute for his hand to lower to the small of her back and her cheek to settle against his neck. _Mmm, he smells good._

This was more perfect than he could imagine. He just smiled and pressed a kiss to her ear and watched the other dancers as they moved. His daughter was dancing again – the boy looked aware of how close Rick was and seemed appropriately afraid – and Esposito spun Lanie out of his arms, linked by their hands, then back to him.

"You never told me how they got back together."

Kate smiled, a little embarrassed. "That's right, I didn't."

"Oh, come on. Please? Unless it's kinky…. Then I'll get Espo's version."

She laughed in spite of herself.

"She was rude to him at a crime scene again. I don't know why. Everyone could tell they kept gravitating to each other, but then she kept insulting him or pushing him away. She must have a crazy ex or something; I can't figure her out. Anyway, I told her that if she didn't quit, he might give up and move on. It wasn't like he had no other prospects."

Rick's feet stilled and he backed up to look at her. "You said that?"

"Yeah." _Why is that so surprising?_

"Really? _You_ did?"

"Um, _yeah._" _Duh._

She couldn't figure out the look on his face. He finally chuckled and pulled her back against him.

_And that, class, is the definition of irony, _he thought.

* * *

><p>They played some more cards – they won an equal number of games despite all their taunting and boasting. Then, over their banter and the noise of the half-drunk crowd, they heard the emcee announce they had a special guest singer. "Please welcome <em>Elvez<em> singing 'Hunk of Burnin' Love'!" The crowd cheered, and Rick and Kate laughed "No way!" as they rushed back into the ballroom.

And, oh gosh, Espo was up there with a "Thank you, thank you very much," wearing big Elvis sunglasses and an Elvis wig, gyrating his hips, and curling up his top lip. He was actually a pretty good singer, but the dancing made it fall-down funny. Everyone who knew him doubled over in laughter when he really got into the dancing, moving across the stage, working the crowd; then everyone cheered wildly when he finished and the emcee shouted, "Give it up for Elvez, Detective Javier Esposito from the 12th Precinct!"

He kept the wig on, as well as the accent, for another half-hour until Lanie decided it was time to get rid of it.

* * *

><p>The team spent a lot of their time together, but Rick and Kate also worked the room talking to the people in Rick's social circle. While she would normally balk at him acting the slightest bit possessive, and she would never (she hoped) act jealous (who was she kidding?), these were the women who called him "The White Whale." So she let him hold her close and didn't hide her affection for him. The photographer snapped their picture with a few other couples with household names (at least among New Yorkers who read Page 6).<p>

Then there was that one woman that was every event and flirted with every wealthy man in the room, regardless of whether he was single or not. He saw her approaching with her annoying "Hey Ricky!" and he acted like he didn't see her.

They were almost in a corner, taking a break from glad-handing for a moment alone together.

Kate was distracted and truly didn't see the woman coming towards them.

He put all his attention on his date, whispered into her ear, "Would you be interested in making sure every woman here knows I'm off the market?"

She looked at him with a hint of alarm.

"Because I'd like to make sure everyone knows it. That I'm yours, and you're mine." He eased close enough she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Castle, I'm not having sex with you here."

His eyes crinkled with his grin. "I wasn't intending to take it that far. But, I_ am_ off the market, right?"

"You're damn right you are."

He kissed her with slow-burning passion that made the room disappear. His hands were blazing hot on her back, his chest muscles hard under palms. His tongue slipped into her mouth and his hips pressed against hers hard and if they didn't stop soon, she'd drag him to the coat room and, oh, his hands were doing things that shouldn't be done in public. Well, they weren't being obscene, but the effect they had wasn't something she wanted to feel in a ballroom full of co-workers and superiors and cameras. Kate pulled back, nipped his bottom lip, then pulled away.

Her hands slid down his arms into his; she asked, "How long do you want to stay here?" It had already been hours.

"I'm ready when you are." His voice was low and raw.

"Call the car." Hers was breathless and needy.

His fingers were at the base of her skull, threaded in a way that wouldn't muss her hair. He kissed her again, very slowly.

* * *

><p>The woman watched with a slack jaw. She'd flirted with Richard Castle many times before, and made out with him once. But he didn't leave that party with her. She'd seen him kiss several women over the years, but never before did he kiss one like that. With such intensity and tenderness. She scoffed and turned away – he was clearly not available – then scanned the room to find someone she actually had a chance at seducing.<p>

* * *

><p>Kate held his hand tightly as they told their friends goodbye. Once they made it to the doors with her wrap hung to keep her back and shoulders warm, they practically ran to the towncar.<p>

He couldn't wait to peel that fantastic dress off of her. And, judging from the way she fiddled with his scarf, she couldn't wait to get him out of that tux, either.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like this video – search You Tube for '_Elvez crashin' Karaoke.'_ It's pretty amusing._


	23. Chapter 23

23

Saturday morning, Rick woke up alone to the smell of coffee. He stretched, pulling his arms back as far as they could go, before wandering into the closet to grab a tee shirt. It was red and didn't at all match his navy and green flannel pants, but he didn't even notice. He was just pulling the shirt over his head when he stumbled into the kitchen. Kate stuttered and Alexis laughed.

The two were sitting together eating sliced cantaloupe and sipping coffee, chatting and looking at the pictures in Alexis's phone. She had it plugged into her laptop on the counter so they could see the photos better. There were several blurry ones, but most were really clear and had good composition. "You could have a future in photography, Lex." Kate was impressed with how good all the candid shots looked.

Rick popped a mug into his Keureg and got a cup brewing. He rubbed his eyes and ambled up behind his girls. "Mmm. What we lookin' at?"

They both gave him an amused look. He was still half-asleep and very cute.

"Pics Alexis took last night." Kate was tempted to run her fingers up into his shirt to touch that nice torso that had caused her to stumble over her words when he came in. But she thought that would probably be inappropriate to do a foot away from his daughter.

"Ooh, that's a good one." Alexis found one of Lanie and Esposito laughing while he still wore his Elvis wig.

"And that's a really good one." Her dad and Kate were dancing and gazing into each other's eyes. It was ultra-cheesy, but was still a really great shot.

Rick was finally joining the land of the living, so he took stock of the situation. His girlfriend and his daughter were talking and having fun without him (he didn't know if he was happy about them bonding of sad he was left out) and they were already dressed and wearing makeup (how late did he sleep?) and they paper was open but ignored on the counter.

The paper? He wondered if it covered the Policemen's Ball.

He doctored his coffee and grabbed the paper. He didn't notice the women watching him for his reaction.

It was already open to the Society Page. The headline read, "Bad Boy Author and Detective Muse Heat Up Policemen's Ball." Among the dozen photos of stuffy rich people, the largest was of Kate and Rick dancing the tango. The angle of the camera showed off her backless dress; their heads were turned so the shot had both their smiling faces.

All Rick could think was, _At least they didn't get a shot of us kissing before we left. That was a really hot kiss._

He looked at Kate to try to judge just how angry she was. She didn't look angry. Either she was going to explode later, or she was okay. So he tried to make light of it. "That's the best they could come up with? I haven't been a bad boy for at least a year, 'muse' is such an understatement, and 'heat up?' Come on. Lame."

She quirked an eyebrow up and took another bite of melon.

"Um, are you okay with this?"

"As long as Gates doesn't treat me – or you – differently, it's fine."

"Really?"

"It's fine, Castle. Really."

He didn't believe her. She was masking whatever emotion was behind her words, _and_ she called him Castle, not Rick.

Alexis pretended to not notice the slight tension and pointed out another pretty picture, this one of the Ryans.

Rick read the short article while Kate and Alexis fell back into their conversation about the different people at the ball.

When Kate turned to refill her coffee, Rick gave Alexis an almost imperceptible look. She was expecting it, watching for it, and took it as her cue to go. "Alright, I'm going to go finish getting ready. Paige and I are going to lunch and the movies later."

Rick watched Kate. She went to Alexis's computer and backed up about ten photos then turned the screen toward him. It was just a shot of the crowd mingling, no focus on anyone in particular. Then he saw what struck a chord in her. There was the back of a tall man's head – shaved and chestnut. He couldn't see the face of the woman on the opposite side of the man's shoulder, just the shiny black hair with a few silver streaks. But they looked like Roy and Evelyn Montgomery.

Rick blew out a breath. At first glance, it was a normal thing to see, then it hit him that it wasn't his friend and his wife. And all the grief and loss and betrayal flooded into him once again.

Kate's eyes were trained on the floor. "All we went through, all we lost, on our way to getting here…" she looked into his eyes, "people knowing about us doesn't really concern me anymore. I don't… I don't want this… to mess with my ability to do my job. But I don't think it will. I don't think we'll have cameras hounding us or suspects giving us a hard time. I think we may end up on page 6 like we did today when we go to events like last night. But if Gates gives us any crap, I may have to shoot her."

She looked at the photo again. Sadness filled her voice. "Rick, I miss him. When is it going to end?"

He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, whispering softly, "I don't know. I don't know."

He wasn't sure if she was asking when the pain would end, or her case, but the answer was the same.

He whispered calming words and I love you's into her hair until she composed herself.

They opted for a mundane weekend together, calming and comforting in its normalness.

* * *

><p>Gates kept a watchful eye on them all week. They didn't act any different than the week before. Nothing personal got in the way of any investigations. They didn't disappear for any quickies (that she knew of). She had nothing on them. She had to let it go. For now.<p>

A fresh body dropped on Tuesday - literally, from the top of a building. Witnesses said he was thrown after a loud argument. But no one could see the other person well enough to give a description. The victim was from Buffalo and didn't seem to know anyone in the city. There was latent evidence, but its owner wasn't in any system. They came upon one dead end after another. By the weekend, the whole team was frustrated and in need of a break.

They all went out together (plus Lanie and Jenny) for an early pizza before splitting up to three separate locations.

Kate tried to not think about the case, but couldn't help it. (The same went for everyone on the team, but it bothered her more than the others.) Something kept eating at her. She felt like if she could just find out more about why their vic was on an unplanned trip to New York City that his family and close friends didn't even know about, she would find the key to the murder. The Buffalo PD already went through his house without finding anything, but still, it ate at her.

Unable to fall asleep, she pulled up a map of the victim's house on Google Earth. By 10pm, she decided she needed to go there. She called Castle (she made a point of not staying over _every _night) to see if he was interested in a road trip.

Of course he was.

But when she told him to make sure he took his trenchcoat, he had no idea what was up her sleeve.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like the blooper reels. So hilarious! ("Lanie sharted?")_

_And who thinks that the part in EoB when the paparazzi said, "You're not Jason Bateman," was improv, and Nathan's response and Stana's laughter was unscripted? I think it was!_


	24. Chapter 24

24

The drive would take all day, so Kate stood at her curb at 5am with grande coffees in her hands, waiting for him to pick her up. If she took her department-issued car on a trip this far, Gates just might have her head on a platter. Besides, she didn't want to have to call it in. She had sent Gates an e-mail telling her where they would be, investigating the vic's house and interviewing friends and neighbors; and that since it was a seven hour drive plus stops, they probably wouldn't be in until late Monday afternoon. She fully expected to be read the riot act upon their return… unless they found something substantial that the Buffalo PD had missed.

Rick pulled up looking shockingly awake, plucked the coffee from her hand , and took a long sip while she watched impatiently.

"Well, I see what you priorities are," she smirked.

He grinned then kissed her lazily, drawing it out until she melted against him. The streets were still quiet and abandoned at such an early hour of a Saturday morning, so the kiss lasted far longer than he expected her to permit in public. Still smiling, he hoisted her overnight bag into his trunk and turned to see if she was going to insist on driving. But she was already in the passenger seat, plugging their destination into the GPS.

Rick eased into his leather seat, toasty from the seat warmer, and asked, "Where to, m'lady?"

She offered a sweet smile and told him which tunnel to head for. The first leg of the trip was mostly quiet, listening to the radio. Kate even dozed off again. It went by quickly since traffic was rough heading into the city, not leaving it. They stopped for brunch in Scranton, and Castle finally asked what she hoped to find at the victim's home.

"I don't know. Anything that might give us a clue as to why he was in the city in the first place. Any kind of lead. If we come back with no lead, Gates'll be livid."

They took two more breaks, but made excellent time. It was far earlier in the afternoon when they arrived that she expected it to be. She hadn't paid attention to how fast he drove, but the Ferrari was a smooth ride, so maybe he'd been flying, and she just didn't notice.

They pulled into the Buffalo PD parking deck to give the department a heads up that they'd be snooping around and get the name of a detective to use as a liaison. Gates most certainly wouldn't be as forgiving as Montgomery had been when they were caught snooping in Los Angeles, so Beckett followed protocol exactly this time.

The detective gave them two addresses for their victim. One was the one they already knew about. The other was a rental he'd owned in North Lockport. It was vacant, so the NYPD team hadn't even been told of its existence.

Kate checked her watch and suggested they check out his residence first. With Castle at her side, they meticulously searched the home and questioned the neighbors.

One neighbor said the only weird thing that had happened lately was that they showed up in a Ferrari – cops couldn't afford cars like that. Aside from that unhelpful and almost insulting comment, they had nothing new.

So they tracked down the address in the small town north of Buffalo to see if there was anything interesting in the rental. By the overgrown shrubbery and patchy dead grass and peeling paint, it looked like it had been vacant for quite a while. Or maybe he was a cruddy landlord. The glass had been busted out of the pane closest to the doorknob, so Castle tried the knob. Unlocked. Beckett already had her gun unholstered and called out, "Police! Anybody here?"

Castle edged up to her, keeping his eyes open all around them while they cleared the rooms. He whispered, "If you see a big cage, just start shooting."

She made herself not say, "Duh."

But there was no cage or evidence of creepiness. It looked like a vagrant had stayed recently, but had already packed up and moved on. There was litter scattered around, some old newspapers on the kitchen counter, and some brochures for cruises on a built-in bookcase.

"Cruise brochures? That's an odd thing to have lying around a vacant rental," he mused as he thumbed through them.

"Yeah. Let's see if the neighbors knew him."

They talked to several neighbors, getting the best information from the old lady who was fond of the phrase, "It wasn't any of my business, but…." She knew the victim, but he hadn't been to the house in two years. He'd been dating his tenant. But then the tenant, a cute brunette, moved out, and no one else moved in. He stopped taking care of the house and never showed up again.

They got back in the car and Beckett shrugged. "It's a lead. It's probably the only thing we'll get, too."

Rick nodded. "Nope. We're getting dinner, too." _And hopefully getting laid._

He followed the directions the old lady gave him to a locally owned restaurant and guided Kate in with his hand low on her back. They took the time to talk and joke and order without talking about the case. But after their order had been placed, Kate could see that gleam in Rick eye that said he had a story to tell. "So, Castle, tell me about the cruise brochures and the girlfriend tenant and the dead victim."

He grinned and began to weave a plot of a bad breakup, a man who couldn't let go, who had tried to woo his lady back with a romantic getaway, and a woman who had enough and left for good. But he couldn't take defeat. He hid his enduring interest in finding where his lost love had run off to from those who knew him for fear they would make him back down. Then he found out where she went. But she wouldn't see him. And he wouldn't give up. Then she agreed to meet him on the roof of a building – she'd promised a romantic dinner, but had her new boyfriend waiting for him instead. The new guy called him a stalker and told him to leave town, but he got angry and started a fight. And the new guy ended it – ended him.

Kate took another bite of her meal and realized that she hadn't paid any attention to the fact that the food had come and they had started eating, she was so enthralled by Castle's narrative.

"It's possible. It fits. The next step is that we find the girl and ask. There were legal papers in the file cabinet in his house, so the lease is probably in there."

"Yeah. Probably. Did you book us a room anywhere?"

"Yep. I'll drive, though. You've been driving all day. It's my turn."

She pursed her lips and smiled, excited to drive his car again. And to take him somewhere he didn't seem to expect.

They passed several hotels on the way to the one she'd booked them into. And she tried to keep Rick distracted to stop him from figuring out her plan. She had a map printed so that she could avoid the main road that would have all the signs announcing their location. She intentionally pulled up to the inn from behind, too. Being winter, tourism was slow, so she was able to secure a room with a view.

He carried both bags up the stairs behind her, watching her rear end the whole way, and followed her into the room, still talking and laughing, as they had been all evening.

"Rick, can you go open those curtains?" She gestured at the covered picture window on the opposite wall of the room.

He complied, willing to do whatever would make her happy so long as he was the one making her very happy, very soon. He even paused to press down on the mattress to test its springiness before reaching the window.

She would have rolled her eyes, but she was too absorbed in watching for his reaction.

Rick pulled the curtains open and sucked in a surprised gasp, revealing a spectacular view of Niagara Falls.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like this video – search You Tube for '_Did Jon Huertas just steal a kiss from Stana Katic?' _It is so funny! Watch it twice so you get both their facial expressions. _


	25. Chapter 25

25

Rick took in the view before looking back at Kate. Spotlights gave the water falls an ethereal glow in the dark of night. He wondered if this had been her plan all along when she told him to bring his trench coat. But he never asked. He let her surprise him. It was normally he who made the romantic efforts, and now that they were together-together, it felt like a role-reversal because it was her making the effort to romance him.

She had driven evasively enough that he hadn't realized how close to the falls they had gotten, so his surprise at the view was genuine.

"Wow, Kate." He turned to her and caught her pleased smile. Still looking at her, he said, "Beautiful."

Her smile changed to amusement, and she retorted, "That was a cheesy line."

"What can I say, you bring it out in me." He crossed the room to wrap his arms around her. "Thank you for this."

She lifted up on her toes to kiss him. Dinner had been good, the view was incredible, the company was perfect. There was only one thing she wanted and had every intention of surprising him several more times before they fell asleep.

She teased his top button until it opened then placed an open-mouthed kiss under his Adam's apple and felt him press against her. Tempted as she was to really shock him, she didn't rip his shirt off (though she seriously considered it) and quickly undid the rest of his buttons; undressing him fully while kissing behind every newly opened button, kneeling as her kisses descended. She made him gasp and curse and require steadying himself against the wall with one hand while his other hand gripped in her hair. Then, abruptly, she stopped, sauntered to the king sized bed and laid upon it. She didn't need to say anything; _Come get me_ was radiating off her whole body. He answered loud and clear.

* * *

><p>Rick stood at the window taking in the view while she showered. It looked different in the morning light. He was lost in thoughts when the shower shut off and didn't even hear the click of the bathroom door opening. He started a little when she slid her hand across his back.<p>

Her arms snaked around him, embracing him from behind, and she propped her chin on his shoulder and took in the view.

"How'd you know about this place?" He hated his question as soon as he asked, because it was probably from an old boyfriend, or from a family trip that might make her sad.

"Royce." Now, that wasn't an answer he expected.

She felt him tense slightly and guessed he was wondering what exactly had happened with her and Royce in this hotel, maybe even this room.

"Prisoner transfer. Murderer was caught trying to cross into Canada here; we were sent to pick him up."

"Oh."

"Separate rooms, Castle. Nothing happened."

"I didn't say anything." He shrugged, jostling her head a little.

"Yeah, yeah."

He'd never been able to decipher her level of affection for Royce. He completely believed her when he, Espo, and Ryan were listening in on their conversation, when she told Royce she was in love with him, and that his betrayal cost him something a lot more valuable than money. The way she looked at Royce a few times was not that differently than she looked at him sometimes… before Demming arrived.

But then she said it was an act to keep him on the line, and that was completely believable, too. So he believed that… until Josh showed up the next week.

They'd dealt with Rick not calling all summer, he could tell she was offended that he was back with Gina, and they'd discussed her wild phase when Alexis asked for a Vespa. She obviously had a rebellious streak a mile wide. And then Royce showed up, got Kate all sentimental, then he broke her trust and maybe her heart. She had been out for drinks with Royce when they realized he was in on the treasure hunt, too. The hurt Rick was sure she was hiding, along with her excellence at hiding it, actually gave him hope a year later when she claimed to not remember that he said he loved her, that maybe she was just hiding that, too.

But when Royce betrayed her, it was as if that was the last straw, and she jumped on the first bad boy she saw (excluding suspects). Rick couldn't help but wonder if she went out and let that douche Josh pick her up in a bar because she needed the distraction from Rick Castle and Mike Royce.

She kissed his earlobe, bringing him back to the present.

"Royce said you and I had something real, and I should take the risk of letting you in." Her soft words and warm breath tickled his ear.

"Well, he must not have been that good of a training officer."

"_What_?"

"You ignored perfectly good advice for way too long."

"Yeah, well, I had a thing for him, and you know how that turned out. Being involved with your partner isn't exactly kosher. If you had a badge, we'd have issues with HR."

Rick turned in her arms to wrap her up in his. "You know I love you, right?"

She smiled and kissed him lightly, then whispered, "Yeah. I do."

She tucked her head under his chin and held him, completely at peace letting him hold her, wanting nothing but the connection. With the words _I do_ running through her mind.

Rick breathed her in, fresh from the shower, smelling fruity and feeling as soft as the silk robe she wore. His quads were sore, and he knew she had to be deliciously sore in all the best spots from their surprisingly athletic, fantasy-fulfilling night. But just holding her in the soft morning light with a slow song in his head and _I do_ fresh from her lips was magical. Even Ryan would call him a girl for thinking that, and he didn't care.

Her hands slipped under his tee shirt to rub his back, muscled and warm, when he started swaying slowly to the music only he could hear. She let him lead her into a slow dance, intimate and sweet.

"I bet you had Alexis standing on your toes for dances like this when she was little."

He smiled and hummed an affirmative. His smile lingered because he was sure her observation had to mean she was thinking about what kind of daddy he was… and what kind he will be.

Rick tilted down to brush his lips against hers. He stilled their bodies and focused on kissing her softly and deeply, unhurried and relaxed, promising and hopeful. When their lips (but nothing else) finally separated, he quietly asked, "Don't we have some files to go through and a lease to find?"

He hoped they'd get through with it fast so they could spend time as a couple taking in the sights.

Her forehead rested against his cheek, her arms were still wrapped around his body. "No. That'll keep until tomorrow. Today, we're taking a Sunday to ourselves."

"Really? I mean, that's great, but it's not like you to have a lead but not chase it down." _Great, talk her out of it. Good job, Rick. Moron._ "I mean, nevermind. Forget I said that."

Kate laughed. "Well, Rick, maybe I've re-prioritized. Now, get dressed. With the trench coat. We're going to see the falls."

"Awesome."

She grinned at his glee, glad to make him smile like that, joyful to finally be able to put him – them – first.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like the pie-baking lesson scene in Waitress. Oh, to be Keri Russell._


	26. Chapter 26

26

They stood in the short line for the next boat, close enough to feel the cold mist on their faces. No wonder the place was nearly deserted in the winter. It was freezing, even with coats, scarves, and gloves. Kate leaned back against Rick's chest with her hands on the railing and his arms wound snugly around her waist. The roar of the falls filled their ears, the mist filled their lungs. Despite the cold, it was invigorating, awe-inspiring. He rested his cheek against her head, smiling. Kate was amazed at how calm he was being. She fully expected him have already pulled out his phone to read factoids off Wikipedia to her about the falls. But he was just holding her contentedly.

When the boat finally docked, he gently placed his hand at the small of her back, a gesture already familiar, to lead her onto its deck. The boat's guide not only provided the factoids like the height of the falls and how glaciers carved them out of the earth, but also some of the more interesting traditions of the Mohawk and Iroquois tribes. The boat took them over to the Cave of Winds, and Castle began bouncing a little on the balls of his feet.

"Just imagine. What would it have been like to actually go into the cave behind the falls? Like in a movie."

"Yeah, well, Castle, you're like a hundred years too late for that. I don't think the cave even exists back behind there anymore. Wasn't it destroyed in a rockslide or something?"

Castle grinned. "A rock fall in 1920 made it too dangerous to tour, then another one,a _massive _one, obliterated it in 1954. But I want to hear the story of why it's called 'Bridal Veil Falls.' I bet there's some good folklore about star-cross'd lovers from opposing tribes meeting behind there then jumping to their deaths while trying to run off together. Or something like that."

"Wow. That's really morbid."

"Eh. Occupational hazard."

"Wouldn't it be a better story if the earth opened and created the cave for them to hide from their families while they had a secret wedding ceremony?"

"Ooh. Yeah. I like it. I bet it really is a story like that. Look at you, letting your romantic side show."

He smiled and hugged her; she half-way rolled her eyes and retorted, "Isn't this whole trip letting my romantic side show?"

She kissed him chastely before he could answer, finishing with a light touch of her tongue to his lips that left him wanting more.

"Tease."

"Always."

The boat passed on by Bridal Veil, heading toward the larger falls. Castle listened for the guide to tell the story behind the name, but all he said was that there were pedestrian platforms and bridges during warmer months in front of the falls. Rick made a mental note to bring Kate back here to walk the bridge across the base of the falls sometime when it's warm.

They approached Horseshoe Falls, the biggest of the three falls, the roar even louder once they were surrounded on three sides by it. They stood silently on the bow, hand in hand, astounded by the sheer size of the falls wrapping around them. Rainbows appeared and disappeared in the mist billowing in the sunshine. It was gorgeous, but the mist was icy. Freezing, they went inside the enclosed area of the boat, even though Rick said it was "cheating."

As the boat pulled away from the falls to meander back to the dock, Rick caught sight of the Skylon Tower on the Canadian side of the falls. "Do you have your passport with you?"

Kate leaned against him. "Yeah why?"

"Really? You carry your passport with you?"

"Thought we might need it."

"But you didn't tell me to bring mine? What if I wanted to go eat in the restaurant up there?" He pointed at the tower.

Kate chuckled. "You have a passport card in your wallet."

"You snooped in my wallet?

"How would I do that, Rick? You'd notice me pulling it out."

His lips quirked into a smile.

"_Of your pocket!"_

"Then how'd you know I had one?"

"I just saw it one time when you were looking for your favorite card to pay for dinner."

He remembered that time. She'd made fun of him for having a favorite card. "Huh. That was like two years ago. I didn't know you paid that much attention."

"I'm supposed to pay attention to details, Castle. It's my job."

"Details about murders and suspects. Not about me."

"Seriously? You know that's crap."

Rick grinned. He'd baited her and gotten her to admit she'd been paying close attention to him for a long time.

She pursed her lips and gave him that look that had mostly replaced the eye-roll.

They got off the boat on the Canadian side and walked through the tourist traps. He bought an oversized lollipop from one vendor, a hot cocoa for Kate from the next.

He pulled her into a kitschy photo studio with period clothing from pre-colonial Native American to 1950's Americana.

"No, Castle! I'm not putting on a costume for a picture! If I was 16, maybe. Now, _not a chance_."

He sighed and shrugged at the bored teenager behind the register and bought a Niagara Falls shot glass.

The next shop had rock n' roll memorabilia and Cuban cigars. He bought the cigars and got excited by an electric guitar signed by The Who.

"Castle, are you going to buy something at every shop?"

He shrugged and grinned. "Maybe."

He aimed them toward the tower, honestly planning to make it there for a late lunch, but distracted by all the shiny things. Like the huge amusement park. "Can we go? It'll be fun. Do you like roller coasters?"

She took a deep breath and clenched her jaw a little.

"Ooo, Kate. What about the Serenity Spa? Mother said it's wonderful. It's right over there. Couples massage?"

"Castle. Cool it. Let's just go eat."

"'Kay."

She was getting pissy. He didn't want her to be pissy. She had a plan, and his exuberance was getting in the way. He was just excited but tried to make himself dial it back some. But her hand was in his and they were on a get-away that she surprised him with and they had fantastic sex the night before and the falls were awesome and there was just so much to be happy about. He squeezed her hand and cut his eyes over to her.

She squeezed back and glanced up at him. He was really cute trying to hold back his glee. She shook her head and kept walking. She really was such a sucker for him.

It seemed like everything here vied for a view of the falls, and the tower restaurant had a great one. Seated at a table next to a window, they could see for miles in every direction, so Rick _had_ to describe everything he could see.

"_Castle_. I can see it, too. _Seriously. _Cool it." Being cute didn't make it any less annoying.

"Seriously? Kate, you've got to be kidding. There's so much we could do here. Together. Or we could just sit here and take in the view. Together. Can't help it… that really makes me happy."

She took his hands in hers and said quietly, "Makes me happy, too." That was, after all, why she'd planned the trip. To spend some time alone together, to make them both happy.

His eyes were twinkling, his expression both sincere and adoring; she just couldn't stay irritated. She let out a little laugh, kept hold of his hand, and held up her menu. He picked his up and began to read, so she peeked over the top of the menus just to watch him.

When he did the same, catching her in the act, she was about to whisper,_ I love you, _but he spoke first. "That little V between your eyebrows; it's still cute."

The first time he said that - during their very first case together, peeking over the top of his crazy fan mail - she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

This time, she laughed, making her eyes sparkle, crazy about the man in front of her, and simply squeezed his hand that was still in hers.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like the youtube video: "Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine/ Castle Fan Video." LittleMoreTime did it, and it's phenomenonal! _

_And I have no idea what the story behind the name of Bridal Veil Falls is - I guessed. Anybody know for sure?_


	27. Chapter 27

_Previously: Kate & Rick went to Buffalo to find out info about a victim. They interviewed neighbors who said he'd dated the tenant in his rental. Then Caskett had a nice romantic day at Niagara Falls, planning to go re-search the victim's home in the morning._

27

The information they were looking for were in the victim's files, identifying the ex-girlfriend he'd been stalking. There were photos of her with a big jock who had the logo of a bar on his tee-shirt, as well as one photo of her kissing the muscle man. There were letters he'd written her that had been returned unopened. One had a note on the envelope that said, "Leave me alone! Or I'm getting a restraining order!"

Castle looked at all the evidence that backed his theory and mused aloud, "How did the Buffalo PD miss all this when they searched this place?"

"I don't know, Castle. Maybe they flipped through the file and didn't think that a nearly four year old lease and some letters stuck in the back of the folder meant anything. They were looking for evidence of someone coming here to try to hurt him, or evidence that he was fleeing from someone."

"Meh." He shrugged; this shouldn't have been missed. Maybe a rookie had the job of flipping through the file cabinet.

"We missed it in our first sweep," she pointed out. He ignored that comment.

They called in what they found and e-mailed pictures of the photos from the file. Ryan and Esposito briefed the captain & headed out to find the girl and the jock.

By the time Castle and Beckett got back to the precinct, the boys had the girl in the box spilling her guts about how her new boyfriend was just supposed to scare her ex off, but they fought and he accidentally fell. She seemed genuinely upset, sobbing, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for him to die."

The new boyfriend, a bouncer at a bar, was waiting in the next interview room, so Gates sent them in to see if he told the same story. He said pretty much the same thing, but Beckett baited him into lashing out and admitting that he threw the guy off the building. "He had it coming!"

They packed up the evidence, filled in the paperwork, and erased the board. Ryan thought aloud, "He'll probably just be charged with manslaughter, considering the vic was stalking the girl," and the other detectives nodded their agreement. Juries don't like stalkers.

Gates gave them a slight reprimand for their unapproved road trip, but since they did call it in and it did change the solve from being a long shot to a slam dunk, the rebuke was mild.

Espo shoved against his desk to roll over to Beckett's in his rolling chair. "So. I've got a question."

Castle & Beckett braced themselves for the ribbing they knew was about to come. They had, after all, just taken a weekend together at Niagara Falls, famed for being a favorite proposal and honeymoon destination.

Espo let them sweat for a few seconds then asked, "Tell me how it is that you two were in Buffalo gathering evidence at 8am, and you managed to be back here at 2pm?"

Kate had done the math already. Rick had been flying. She looked at her partner, who relaxed and smiled like the arrogant spoiled ass they'd met years ago. "Ferrari. Nuff said."

"Gates would have killed you if you'd gotten pulled over. And, Castle, I feel like it's my civic duty to cite you for driving so hazardously."

"_What? _You're kidding, right?"

"I am not kidding. I'm freaking serious." Espo rolled back to his desk , grabbed a notepad and set to writing.

"He's kidding, right?"

Kate wore her bafflement on her face and didn't answer. Espo showed the notepad to Ryan, who also looked very serious and disappointed. Ryan nodded. Espo rolled back over and tore the sheet out.

Holding it out to Castle, he said, "Your citation."

Castle looked at the messy scrawl. "_Offense: endangering the lives of yourself and others with excessive speeding. Penalty: Vehicle impound. Your vehicle will be guarded by Det. Esposito for one night and Det. Ryan for one night. Alternate Penalty: an anonymous tip to Captain Gates from a concerned citizen."_

"What? You want to use my car or you're telling Gates I was speeding?"

Both detectives nodded solemnly while Kate bit back laughter. As if Gates couldn't do the math, too. She probably already had.

Castle paused then nodded in approval. "Aaahh. Good one. You got me. Sure, you can borrow my car. All you had to do was ask."

Ryan blurted, "Sweet!" and Espo just gave a curt nod.

"This weekend?" Castle asked.

Ryan answered, "Um, no. This weekend, we're having a party. Our first big party as a married couple. And you are all invited. I was supposed to give you invitations, but I left them at home. I'll bring them tomorrow."

Kate's mind went a direction that most female minds go. They'd been married long enough that there could be a bun in the oven. Smiling slyly, she asked, "So what's the occasion? Do you have news to announce or something?"

"What? No. Nothing like that. Lent starts next week."

"So?" Espo voiced what all three were thinking.

"Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. And what's the day _before_ Ash Wednesday?" He was using his leading voice, elongating the word 'before'.

Castle clapped and quietly shouted (just short of squeeing), "Mardi Gras! Do we wear costumes?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. He did say that day in his closet that you just never know when you'll need a good costume.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry it's so short, just a segue chapter. _

_Please review! They're addictive like catching youtube vids of favorite Castle scenes. Like this one: '_Castle – "Is Castle Gay" 3x11' 

_My favorite line: "I need to go. Over there."_


	28. Chapter 28

_Previously: Ryan said he & Jenny were hosting a Mardi Gras party & invited the team._

28

"Call her…. Call her!" He plopped into the passenger seat & didn't even have the car door shut yet.

"I will! Gimme a minute. Jeez, Castle, Ryan said we can wear costumes; I don't understand why you're making me call Jenny."

"Come on! I thought that girls did this sort of thing! Ask if it's just masks & a king cake or a go-all-out awesome costume soiree!"

"Soiree? Really? You know I'm supposed to be the only girl in this relationship, right?"

Rick grinned broadly, both amused and still in awe that they were in a for-real relationship.

She pulled up Jenny's number on her phone, hit send, and switched the call to her bluetooth earbud as she pulled into traffic. "Hey, Jenny, it's Kate. …Yes, we'll be there. Wouldn't miss it. I was just wondering, Kevin said to dress up. Is this just masks or full costumes? …No, you gotta give me more than that. I can't tell Rick 'whatever you want.' What are you wearing? …Oh, I see. Well, okay. …Thanks, Jen. See you this weekend."

Kate turned to her about-to-explode partner and pursed her lips tightly. Like it was costing her some measure of pride to relay the information. But a smile began to pull at her lips as she watched him doing his best to not beg like a four year old. She opened her mouth to speak then stopped herself, drawing a "Oh, come on, Kate!" from Rick.

"She said… wear whatever you want. And she said she knew how that probably would be interpreted by _you_, and she said… you really can wear whatever you want."

"Yesssss!" Both fists pumped.

She rolled her eyes. "Rick, it's a party. You didn't just win the lotto."

"I don't need to win the lotto. I have tons of money. I need permission and a venue to go all out. And. You. Just. Gave it to me!"

"So what's it going to be? Your light-up robot costume? "

"Oh, no. I'll need a new one. So will you."

"Don't you have enough already? And I'm plenty good at improvising a costume. You got a kick out of the one I put together for your Halloween party."

He sighed like she was being a petulant child. "Those are _regular_ costumes. We need _Mardi Gras_ costumes. Some with New Orleans flair. I can call your dad – he'll back me up on this. You said he loved going to the Mardi Gras Ball."

"True, he did. But he's not likely to back you on this one."

"Why not?"

"Would you be encouraging Alexis to go with her boyfriend to find a great party costume for a day whose catchphrase is 'show me your tits!'?"

Castle's mouth dropped open a little at that mental image, horrified.

"Didn't think so."

Castle rode along quietly wondering if the team would help him dispose of the body of any young man who asked that catchphrase of his little girl, and wondering if Beckett would flash him if he said it. _Maybe I need to buy some beads. She'd probably shoot me if I offered her beads for a peep show in public. Maybe. Although, there was that one story Royce told._

"What are you smiling about?" she asked.

"Why, am I making you nervous?"

"You're being quiet; of course you're making me nervous."

"Show me your tits?"

"Mm. Probably later."

He blinked a few times, more than a little surprised. He looked out the window and realized they weren't headed home. (His home, since she'd made a habit of driving him home nearly every day now.)

"Where are we going?"

"Costume shopping." She flicked up one eyebrow suggestively.

His devilish smirk appeared. "Not Party City, I hope?"

"Of course not. Custom costumes."

"Custom? I had to make my light-up suit myself. Who does custom costumes?"

"I know a guy."

He marveled at her sitting there, looking smug, using his line. He was about to point that out – that it was his line – until he remembered the last time they were in a costume shop. He'd suggested a naughty nurse costume for her only to have her tease him. But they were there because of the bondage cuffs. Custom-made S&M wear. _Oh wow, could she have some naughty costumes I don't even know about?_

She must have seen his eyes go wide and she knew exactly what he was thinking.

She opened the car door and he realized that they were, in fact, parked. He caught up and left the car to join her already walking into the shop. There were sequins, glitter, leather, animal prints, feathers, fur, masks, body paint, realistic fangs; every type of costume imaginable, and all very unique. Kate rang the little bell on the counter and called out, "Les! You here?"

Rick expected a flamboyant diva to walk out, male or female didn't matter, either way the designer would make his mother look boring. But the young man that emerged didn't have brightly colored clothes and gaudy jewelry. He wore jeans and a burgundy shirt and a tomato red tie that clashed horribly.

"Les, this is my boyfriend Rick." Les didn't shake Rick's hand or even make eye contact. Kate continued, "We need costumes for a Mardi Gras party this weekend."

Les lit up and began the most fascinating monologue about the history of Mardi Gras in America, Mobile, Alabama having the oldest parade, and the meaning behind the typical costumes for the day. The King, Queen, and Jester, as well as the king cake, all had their own significance. The beads and Moon Pies didn't matter, weren't important, but the reasons for the costumes were monumental. According to Les.

Kate listened to the monologue while Rick fidgeted uncomfortably – there was something very off with this guy who was starting to take Kate's body measurements with jerky movements without even asking what they had in mind for their costumes or by when they'd need to be ready. Then Castle saw a magnet on the cash register of a cause ribbon; it was one he'd never noticed before with multi-colored puzzle pieces as opposed to breast-cancer-pink or support-our-troops-yellow. Looking closer, it said it was in support of autism. Aah, yes. This guy wasn't a creep; he was just on the autism spectrum. Probably Asperger's Syndrome judging by the encyclopedic knowledge of an obscure topic like the origins of holiday costumes. Rick relaxed and let the man measure and talk.

Abruptly, Les interrupted his monologue when he finished measuring them both and said, "They'll be ready in two days."

Kate smiled, but Rick stammered, "Wait. You don't even know what we want them to look like."

"You'll like them. They'll be great." And with that, Les turned around and went back into his back room.

Kate started walking out.

Rick was beyond floored. "You're just going to let him make our costumes without even knowing what he'll make? He didn't even ask if we wanted coordinating costumes or what our budget was."

"Relax, Castle. You heard him. They'll be great. Do you really think that guy is going to give us something less than perfect for this party?"

Castle shrugged. He really wasn't comfortable with this. Not at all.

"What did Jenny say she was wearing?"

"Oh. It's good. But she said not to tell you."

Kate was already scrolling through her phone, making a call. "Hey. Just making sure Javi told you about Kevin's party. …Yeah. We're just leaving there now."

When they finished their quick conversation, Castle asked, "So Lanie knows about Les, too?"

"Mm hm. We discovered him together. Man, was that a crazy party!"

"Oh, do tell!"

She hesitated, enjoying getting to tease him, then answered coyly, "You think you want to know. But you don't. You reeeeeally don't."

Oh, but now he reeeeally _does_ want to know.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like scaring your kids for fun. Just a little surprise bang on the door to make them jump... I'm a mean mommy._


	29. Chapter 29

29

The decorations were the expected green, gold, and purple, but tastefully done. There were no tacky plastic bead necklaces. There were sparkling glass beads surrounding glass votives to cast flickering colored candlelight. The servingware was all wooden platters painted in gold leaf with plenty of food piled high. Jenny's mother, dressed as a barwinch (not the slutty kind), was there to help with keeping the platters and punch bowls full. She even brought the King cake, made from her cousin's recipe straight out of Louisiana.

"Is my crown straight?" Kevin asked her again, nervous about hosting this. Castle was the one who always did the big parties. But he felt like it was his turn to go all out and treat their friends. They probably invited a hundred and fifty people, only expecting about a third of them to be able to attend.

"You look fantastic, everything's ready, and you two did a great job," his mother-in-law reassured. The doorbell rang and she nudged him with a smile. "Now, go; enjoy your guests."

Jenny opened the door, looking radiant in her Middle Ages Queen costume. A pale blue gown with gold soutache and a tight bodice, she looked perfect alongside her husband. Clearly, he was Louis XIV, with his solid gold king's costume. Everything Kevin wore looked like it was made of golden silk. The only exception was the pale blue jewels encircling his crown, tying his costume to his wife's.

Jenny's best friend and her husband gave hugs all around as they entered, music began playing (Oh, yeah, he forgot music – thank God for Jenny's mom!) and the room quickly filled with people. Their siblings and their spouses, neighbors, friends, and co-workers all came in grinning. Lanie and Javi arrived in feathers. Awesome feathers, but, still, _Esposito was in feathers_.

"Apparently, Trinidad loves Carnival, too. Les thought tribal costume would work on me." He acted like he hated it, but was flexing his bare pecs.

"Mmm hmm, he was right too," murmured Lanie.

He had a metallic lime green mask that gave him a hawk-like nose, tribal arm bands, a necklace that had a large gold breastplate with green jewels and tribal etchings, green leather pants with the same gold tribal pattern, and phoenix-like lime green wings. He thought he could pass as a Southern-hemisphere X-man.

Lanie was a peacock. Les explained that it pained him to use the vivid colors of the male peacock on a costume for a female, but the store's owner insisted that it was acceptable. Les still apologized. If there was a place with classy showgirls, this would be a costume for them: a feathered headdress, a sequined bodice, a fringed skirt, and a huge feathered tail. All of the feathers were real, and her entire outfit was iridescent so that it shifted from green to blue to purple.

It was only about twenty minutes into the official party time, and most of their guests weren't "fashionably late" because they had to pay babysitters and needed to be able to get home at a decent hour. But Kevin expected to have to wait a little while for Castle to make his grand entrance (as he _always_ does). It happened sooner than he expected; and when he opened the door, he couldn't believe what Castle and Beckett were wearing.

* * *

><p><em>That morning:<em>

"I am _not_ wearing that." Kate looked into the box and saw fur. No. Freaking. Way.

"Oh, come on, you were the one who insisted we use this Les guy and didn't even look in the box when we paid. He even told us the entire fascinating history of Liberalia and how early Christians tied pagan Roman festivals into their own festivals – like Fat Tuesday- because it was easier than getting rid of them altogether."

"But you get to be a god! A party god, at that! What am I supposed to do… fawn all over you?"

"Ooh, that was a really bad pun. But I won't stop you if you want to fawn all over me. Just try it on? Pleeease?"

Rick was already trying on his costume, and –of course- looked sexy as hell as a Greek god.

She relented and huffed, "Uughh. Fine. Just tell me the truth about how it looks."

She shimmied out of her jeans and tee shirt in front of him just to make him _not_ want her to put on the costume and slapped his hand away when he tried to pull her close. "Nuh-uh. You want me to try this on, right?" she teased.

She pulled up the tight pants (they felt thoroughly weird) to find that it was a body suit. The top was cut like a very revealing swimsuit, covering the center of her abs, her breasts, and not really anything else, clasping behind her neck with a narrow strip of the same material. Fur. Whatever. At least it was very short, very soft fur. And it had a cool sheen to it that almost made it look like a sparkly leather.

"Is it awful? It feels like it looks awful."

Rick swallowed hard. "Uh. No. Not awful. Just. Um." Definitely not awful. "You can't wear a bra with that. It'll show."

He smirked, unfastened the costume from around her neck and let it fall. He unhooked her bra and dropped it. Then he peeled the costume from her body, showing her just how _not awful_ she looked.

* * *

><p>Ryan's eyes went wide when he saw their costumes. Dionysis and a faun. (<em>Faun Beckett looked <em>so much hotter_ than Mr. Tumnus.)_ Rick wore a toga that didn't cover all that much of his upper body, a wig with long, wild curls, a crown of grape vines, delicate golden bands around his biceps (_who knew Castle had those kinds of guns?),_ and carried a huge ale mug. Kate's costume was made of fur, but from more than a few feet away, it looked more like suede. But there was a whole lot of Beckett skin showing. Pointed ears and wild hair and thin gold arm bands like Castle's (only frillier) finished out the faun costume.

"Damn, girl! That's hot!" called Esposito from across the room. He was already on his third drink, and Lanie gave him a good, hard _whack_ across his chest for his exclamation. Jenny shook her head, and couldn't quite understand the dynamic going on there. Javi often acted like Kate's over-protective big brother, but then he'd say things like that… and neither Lanie nor Rick seemed to mind. She guessed they all felt completely secure in their relationships and knew there was nothing to worry about. She hoped that was what it was… this wasn't going to turn into a swinging orgy, right? Kevin grinned and mumbled in her ear, "Totally platonic observation of hotness." Jenny giggled and went back to mingling. Her husband knew exactly where her mind just went. Dirty minds must think alike.

* * *

><p>The apartment was full, the drinks were good, the music was fun, and the food was delicious. And it was late. Really late. The last of those with children were heading out, leaving behind the closest friends – the ones who will help clean up – and the die-hard partiers who don't know when they've worn out their welcome. The friends were sobering, while the lushes were smashed.<p>

Kate hadn't bothered to learn people's names, but there was an ADA she knew whose arm candy was clearly looking for someone else to take her home. The young lady's make up was smudged and she looked barely legal. Surely, she was legal, right? Lanie and Kate had already started helping Jenny pick up the used cups from around the apartment when Lanie _saw_. She nudged Kate and nodded toward Castle.

Barely Legal was hanging on his arm. And he was laughing.

Oh, hell, no.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like the slo-mo clips of the kissing scene in Always. How many times have you watched?_

_If you're curious about Espo's costume, do a bing image search for "men's carnival costumes" and scroll down. There are a couple of tribal ones with green feathers. I made up this with those in mind._


	30. Chapter 30

That barely legal tramp was _not_ hitting on Kate's man. Lanie's suggestive remarks earlier about how hot Castle looked were different… this, _this_ was different. This was _not_ okay. He sat in a wingback chair with this girl on the ottoman fawning all over him. But _that _was Kate's job, and Kate's alone.

Kate took a deep breath (_I will not be a bitch. I will not be a bitch.)_ and walked, no, strutted across the room (not to mark her territory, no, that would be petty… okay, she's being petty). The girl's hands were still on Rick's arm, and he seemed to not really care. What started as anger at the girl was growing into anger at them both. How could he not be pushing that tramp away?

Someone stepped in her way, cutting off her direct path, and she deftly juked left to move around him. But he moved too. Kate looked up at the linebacker-sized obstacle; it was the ADA – the skank's date. (Okay, maybe she _will _be a bitch.)

He leered.

And he'd clearly had more than his fair share of tequila.

"Heeey, baby. What's the hurry? Let 'em talk. It'll give _us_ a chance to talk."

"Not interested." Kate tried to go around him again.

He grabbed her arm. "C'mon… Just want to talk for a second, Katie."

Oh. Hell. No.

ADA Douchebag did _not_ just call her 'Katie.'

Her jaw clenched as she bit out, "Take. Your. Hand. Off. My. Arm."

He grinned and slurred, "Or what? You'll arrest me?"

"I will put your face on this floor in two seconds. One. T-"

"Allrightallready. Damn. You're no fun."

She narrowed her eyes, giving him a look that made killers squirm. "Get your date. Take her home."

He barked out a laugh. "Why? Feeling threatened? Looks like your sidekick is enjoying the attention."

Kate had no response. He did look like he was enjoying it.

What the hell? He wasn't supposed to be so easily distracted from her. An old fear knotted inside her chest.

Then Castle turned his head and caught her eye. But he didn't look busted or guilty… he looked frustrated. He mouthed, "Help," to her.

And all her anger melted away. (Toward him, at least. Barely Legal may still get an earful.) Kate pushed the big ADA out of the way and crossed the room, the sound of him laughing his way to the drink table behind her.

"Hey, Castle."She sidled up next to him, sat on the arm of his chair, but didn't do anything overt to be territorial.

Yet.

_Be calm. Be logical. Everything's fine._

Barely Legal gave her not much more than a glance before turning her attention back to Rick. "So was Nikki Heat your first book?" she purred.

Kate snorted trying to not laugh. Oh, why did she feel insecure a minute ago?

Rick glanced at her, screaming with his eyes, _Do something!_

Kate smirked.

"No," he said, with the fake smile he wears for fans. "I think my first book came out when you were still in diapers."

Kate laughed out loud.

"Oh, so that was a pretty big gap in between, huh?" She looked dumbfounded, but probably didn't know what that word meant.

"Yeah, Rick, what did you do with all that time in between? Did you write anything else?" Kate mocked, earning a glare from him and an agreeing nod from Barely Legal.

"I raised a wonderful daughter. She's about your age. I wrote over twenty more best sellers. I saved the world, or at least New York. And I fell hopelessly in love."

Kate sucked in a sharp breath. They didn't talk like that in public. His eyes were on hers; the young, dumb blonde forgotten.

Kate leaned down and captured his lips with hers; his hands glided over the soft fur of her costume, pulling her down into his lap; and, yeah they were in public, but nearly everyone else was drunk; and, oh hell, that's certainly how you mark your territory.

The girl muttered, "Oh, uh. Okay," and walked away. Kate noticed but didn't care. This felt too good. (Well, maybe she'd also had a little too much to drink, too.)

"Oh, gross! Get a damn room!" Esposito yelled from across the room.

Kate grinned, her forehead against Rick's. "Right on cue."

He laughed. "I swear he has always done that on purpose."

They both turn to eyeball their friend, who smirked proudly. Lanie shook her head, whispered in his ear, and his attention snapped to her. Espo's eyes roamed up and down lustfully; he took her hand and started pulling her toward the door. He murmured to Rick as they passed, "See? Getting a room. In private. It's not that hard, bro."

Lanie mumbled, "It had better be," causing Kate and Rick both to laugh out loud.

Kate heard the skank and the ADA approaching, grabbed a fistful Rick's toga, and pulled him hard, crashing his mouth into hers, kissing him hot and heavy without a care for their audience, (Yeah. She was definitely tipsy.) When she released him, lips swollen and eyes glazed, she rested her forehead against his and asked, "Ready to head out, too?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please review! They're addictive like Dr. Horrible. I've never enjoyed a musical before… that's the power of Nathan Fillion! I totally expected it to keep going and redeem the characters. But Joss is boss! Maybe a sequel will come soon. The commentary is awesome._


	31. Chapter 31

_31_

"C'mon, wake up."

"Mmm mmm." Castle pulled the pillow tighter over his face to block out the light and her voice. He never thought that would happen, but he didn't want to hear her waking him just yet. "Too early. On a Sunday."

"Not just_ a _Sunday, Castle. Easter Sunday."

"So?" he grumbled. "It's not like we've got little kids opening Easter baskets."

Kate smirked. _Not yet,_ she thought.

"That's not what Easter's about. Get up. I want to go to church. I want you to come with."

He peeked incredulously from under his pillow. "_Whyyy_? It's not like you _believe_ in that stuff."

Kate huffed as she sat on the bed next to his bare torso. "I don't _not_ believe it."

That piqued his interest. "You, who scoffed whenever I brought up a suggestion of anything otherworldly or supernatural, think there _could_ be a God?"

Kate swallowed, trying to find the right words. "Are you saying that you, who believes in aliens, ghosts, and zombies, doesn't think there could be a God?"

"Um, I don't know. But, really, Kate… _really_?"

She licked her lips and smiled. "Really, Castle. I have an open mind. That means I'm open to the possibility. There's evidence that could sway me to believing there was a Creator. Then there's the part of me who really wants to believe the Easter message. Maybe it's bull, like your zombies, but maybe not. I, for one, like the idea of a new life, a second chance… a clean slate. Everyone associated with my mom's case used the phrase 'because of my many sins,' and were trying to atone for their past. But Easter… someone else loves us enough to take the burden of our sins. I used to not comprehend even the concept that someone would die for me, would bear my burdens for me… would love me enough to think I'm worth the sacrifice…."

Kate took a deep breath. Castle's eyes watered, her words hitting too close to home. She looked into his eyes and continued, "But you make it easier to believe. I know you'd do those things for me. So, if there's a God, then, maybe He'd do it, too."

Rick lifted himself to her to offer a slow, adoring kiss. He smiled and softly answered, "Okay. I'll go."

He headed to the closet to pick out a suit, so she followed. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and murmured against his shoulder blade, "Thank you. I love you."

He turned, his back brushing his collection of costumes, and kissed her again. They were back where they were when this all started, the electricity between them different. No fear, full of hope, and knowing without a doubt that this wouldn't be their last time dressing up for church: at some point in the near future, they wouldn't be dressing up in a suit and a dress, they'd be putting on a tux and a white gown.

He kissed the tip of her nose before letting go. "I love you, too."

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><p>xoxo<p>

_A/N: Please review! They're addictive like homemade blackberry ice cream, blackberries straight out of my garden._

_This is the end, and I SOOO appreciate all the reviews & alerts & favorites! Y'all make me feel so good!_


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